Mohammad Amjad Hossain :
In the twenty first century political history in the United States is moving in the opposite direction following new comers in the Congress led by Democratic House representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, first woman of color from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Alexandria Ocasio of New York, first Latino woman, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, first Muslim Woman elected in the House of Representatives, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, first Muslim woman as well have been targeted by President Donald Trump. They formed Squad of left oriented Democrat in the House of Representatives. It is really unknown what prompted President Donald Trump to ask four progressive Democrat elected representatives to leave the United States to go their original countries to improve the rotten condition. The fact is that all but one House of Representative Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia but became a naturalised US citizen and the rest was born in the United States. This allegation invited an uproar in the House of Representatives. Congress moved to formally condemned President Trump’s attack on the four Congresswomen on 15 July of 2019.
Feud between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Progressive Congresswomen who make up the Squad, joined Representative Ilhan Omar on a recent trip to Ghana in an effort to promote tourism to Ghana by members of the African diaspora 400 years after the first enslaved Africans reached the United States in 1619, standing in solidarity against President Trump who has said that Omar should go back to the county of her birth.
Condemnation did not stop President Trump who extended his foreign policy to the state of Israel by asking Israeli Administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ban entry of two elected representatives of the Congress of the United States. President Trump broke all niceties and protocol of diplomacy instructing Israel refusing entry to US Congress women. According to New York Times” President Trump crossed a line that other Presidents have not, in effect exporting his partisan battles beyond the country’s borders.” Without any consideration Israeli Administration of Benjamin Netanyahu declared ban entry of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib ahead of the proposed visit to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister gave a lame excuse by citing US Congresswomen for their support for boycotting Israel but acceding to the wishes of US President, who declared on twitter shortly before Israel’s announcement that letting them in would “show great weakness”.
Israeli decision to ban an entry of US Congresswomen has drawn criticism from Democratic Party of the USA, significant chunks of the Republican Party and almost all US Jewish organisations, including AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs committee), a pro-Israel lobbying organization. The action taken by Israeli Prime Minister, who is facing a general election second time on 17 September this year to get elected to serve as longest serving Prime Minister of Israel, appeared to unite Democratic Party. House speaker Nancy Pelosi called the move “deeply disappointing” while some Republican leaders broke with President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister saying the decision was wrong. No less than a person Senator Bernie Sanders, a Jewish himself, held the opinion that banning congresswomen from entering Israel and Palestine was a sign of enormous disrespect to these elected leaders, to the US Congress, and to the principle of democracy.
It is true that both Omar and Tlaib in fact extended support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Movement (BDS) but never harboring against Jews or Israelis and have said their criticism is directed against Israeli government’s policy toward Palestinians and occupied Palestinian lands but House of Representatives of the US Congress passed a resolution condemning campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Movement on 14 July of 2019. Only 17 House Representatives gave negative vote. Having received criticism from the United States and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed his mind while allowing only Rashida Tlaib to travel to West Bank to see her grandmother. Their visit to Israel was sponsored by Miftah, a West Bank based Non-Government Organisation funded by the Hanan Ashrafi, Senior official of Palestine Liberation Organisation. Rebecca Vilkomerson, an executive director of Jewish Voice for peace, also criticized an Israeli decision who herself has been debarred entry into Israel.
President Donald Trump has made a point to divert attention of Jewish community in the United States from extending support to any representative of Democratic Party in the election. This has been reflected while addressing the news conference on 20 August at White House wherein he said, Ilhan Omar was a disaster for Jewish people in her district, does not buy Rashid Tlaib’s tears while he is on record saying I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat-I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty. President did not spare the Democratic Party either by saying where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone-where they are defending these two people over the state of Israel? President Trump’s doubled down tweet on 21 August questioning loyalty of Jews added further fuel to an incendiary political uproar and anger from US Jewish community as the leading Organisation denounced his statements on the Jewish loyalty. Minority leader in Senate Chuck Schumer, who himself Jewish, was among those who reacted harshly, apart from Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jew, who was former Chairperson of Democratic National Committee, tweeted that President Trump” was talking and acting like a white nationalist and politicising Israel. Both are dangerous and destructive.” Incidentally, some Republican defended President Trump. President Trump’s maligning Jewish community against Democratic Party would not bring good dividend in the ensuing presidential election due in November this year because estimated 5.3 million Jews are living in the United States who constitute 2.2 percent of US adult population. Majority of them is in favour of Democratic Party historically.
(Mohammad Amjad Hossain, retired diplomat and former President of the Toastmaster International Club of USA, writes from Virginia)
