As Israel continued to wage what critics are calling a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, just 13 U.S. House Democrats and one Republican on Tuesday voted against a GOP resolution that conflates anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
House Resolution 894Ā passedĀ with support from 95 Democrats and 216 Republicans, including its sponsors, Reps. David Kustoff (Tenn.) and Max Miller (Ohio), who are both Jewish. Almost as many Democratsā92āvoted present.
The resolution, which embraces the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s controversial working definition of antisemitism, was widelyĀ condemnedĀ by progressive and Jewish groups this week ahead of the vote.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (Ky.) joined the 13 Democrats who opposed H.Res. 894: Reps.Ā Jamaal BowmanĀ (N.Y.),Ā Cori BushĀ (Mo.), Gerry Connolly (Va.), JesĆŗs “Chuy” GarcĆa (Ill.), RaĆŗl Grijalva (Ariz.),Ā Pramila JayapalĀ (Wash.), Summer Lee (Pa.),Ā Alexandria Ocasio-CortezĀ (N.Y.),Ā Ilhan OmarĀ (Minn.),Ā Ayanna PressleyĀ (Mass.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.),Ā Rashida TlaibĀ (Mich.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.).
“This extreme and cynical Republican resolution does nothing to combat antisemitism, relies on a definition that conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism, paints critics of the Israeli government as antisemites, and falsely states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” Omar said in a statement about her vote. “We must stand against any attempt to define legitimate criticism of this war and the government perpetrating it as antisemitism.”
According toĀ The Hill, BowmanĀ saidĀ after the vote that while he “strongly condemn[s] antisemitism and hate in all of its forms,” he voted against H.Res. 894 because “it fuels division and violence, conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism, and ignores one of the greatest threats to the Jewish community, white nationalism.”
Bowman and Omar are among the House progressivesĀ facingĀ serious primary challenges for the next cycle, in part because of their criticism of the Israeli government and its war on Gaza that has killed nearly 16,000 Palestinians in under two months.
TheyĀ joinedĀ with Bush, Lee, Massie, Ocasio-Cortez, Ramirez, Tlaib, and Reps. AndrĆ© Carson (D-Ind.) and Al Green (D-Texas) in October to oppose a bipartisan resolution, which declared that the House unconditionally “stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists,” and did not mention Palestinian suffering.
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