51 Fall 2024 Worse, regarding the widespread rapes and sexual violence committed by Hamas operatives on October 7, “The Commission has reviewed testimonies obtained by journalists and the Israeli police concerning rape, but has not been able to independently verify such allegations…” “The Commission was also unable to verify reports of sexualized torture and genital mutilation... the Commission found some specific allegations to be false, inaccurate or contradictory with other evidence…” And in two short sentences, COI glossed over the issue of the use of human shields by Hamas: “The Commission is aware of reports … that the military wing of Hamas and other non-state groups in Gaza operated from within civilian areas. It continues the investigation into this issue.” The COI has become yet another cudgel within the UN system to promote and advocate for the Palestinian narrative by being a megaphone for the repetition of untruths against Israel. As part of a UN agency that includes many of the world’s major human rights abusers, who are at the same time among Israel’s most active nemeses, the COI certainly must feel right at home at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The American Factor Since 1948, the United States Congress has had its share of Israel bashers and antisemites. This is not necessarily a large group, but sizable enough to merit notice. For years, some were at the fringe, but loud enough to make things difficult. Congressmen like Paul Findlay (D-OH), Pete McCloskey (R-CA), and James Traficant (D-OH) come immediately to mind. In the U.S. Senate, the powerful J. William Fulbright (D-AR) and Charles Percy (R-IL) were open critics. Still, we have not seen anything like what has erupted in Congress in recent years, with the arrival of “the Squad” of progressives who work overtime to demonize Israel. Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, the principal apologist for the Palestinian narrative in all its forms, and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar (of “it’s all about the Benjamins” fame and known for making a thinly veiled charge of Jewish dual loyalty) are in the top rung of politicians bent on delegitimizing Israel at every turn. The floodgates of this kind of hatred opened on October 7. One Squad member, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), representing a heavily Jewish congressional district, expressed his unabashed support for Hamas. Bowman refused to vote for replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome system and opposed military aid to Israel. He bought into denial 22. Daniel Lippman, “Bowman reverses after calling reports of Oct. 7 sexual assaults in Israel ‘propaganda’,” POLITICO, March 26, 2024, available at https://www. politico.com/live-updates/2024/03/26/congress/bowmanhouse-israel-october-7-sexual-assault-hamas-00148426 23. Max Cohen, “Bowman slams AIPAC in final debate with Latimer,” PUNCHBOWL NEWS, June 19, 2024, available at https://punchbowl.news/article/election-2024/ jamaal-bowman-george-latimer-debate/ 24. Id. 25. Michelle Shen and Jalen Beckford, “Sanders voices support for pro-Palestinian protests as he condemns ‘all forms of bigotry’,” CNN, April 28, 2024, available at https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/28/politics/sandersuniversity-protest-israel-netanyahu/index.html of Hamas atrocities as well, stating, “There was propaganda in the beginning of the siege. There’s still no evidence of beheaded babies or raped women. But they keep using that lie [for] propaganda.”22 Though he later apologized for saying this, Bowman repeated accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and his alignment with Israel’s main detractors in Congress infuriated much of his Jewish constituency, culminating in his landslide loss in a primary challenge by a popular county political figure, backed by AIPAC’s United Democracy Project.23 The challenge to Bowman ended with a bizarre campaign rally in the South Bronx, featuring two other progressive critics of Israel, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY). In a lengthy rant, Bowman continually railed against AIPAC, and used expletives rarely heard on any campaign trail. “I fight against genocide in Gaza,” Bowman declared, “and I fight for justice at home.”24 For his part, Sanders has done his best to perpetuate the cascade of libels against Israel. Sanders was among the first to hitch a ride on the famine and starvation train. For example, he stated that “Right now, we are looking at the possibility of mass starvation and famine in Gaza.”25 He was also an early advocate for cutting military assistance to Israel when he said, even before the IDF entered Rafah, that “President Biden is right – the United States cannot continue to provide more bombs and artillery shells to support Netanyahu’s disastrous and inhumane war policies.” As the war in Gaza wore on, the issue of conditioning military assistance attracted other members of Congress such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD.). Increasingly
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