Israel under attack

[HacklemanPoke]

Opinion | How Biden’s Policy Enriched Iran

Failure to enforce oil sanctions has helped Tehran finance Hamas.

www.wsj.com

More important, the U.S. also throttled back enforcement of oil sanctions, which gave Tehran billions more dollars to finance Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist proxies. Iran’s oil production jumped to three million barrels a day in August from 2.6 million in April, according to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries data.

Iran’s oil minister said in August the country’s oil production would hit 3.4 million barrels a day by the end of September, the highest since 2018 when the Trump Administration imposed sanctions. Its exports have increased even more—by about one million barrels a day this year—because it has also been shipping stored fuel, namely to China.

Fathom that: Iran has ramped up oil production at a faster rate than the U.S. as the Biden Administration turned a blind eye to its sanctions circumvention. Iran’s production surge occurred mostly over the summer as the Administration sought to strike a new nuclear deal with Tehran and counter rising U.S. gasoline prices.

The White House might say that this is necessary so Russia wouldn’t benefit from rising oil prices amid its agreement with Saudi Arabia to curtail production. But the Saudis scaled back production in part because of Iran’s growing exports, and Russia is benefiting anyway from higher oil prices by dodging the G-7’s price cap on its exports.

It’s fair to ask if the Administration has let Iran and Russia evade sanctions because it doesn’t want to be blamed for higher gas prices as it continues to add regulations to limit U.S. production. In any case, Tehran isn’t using the $30 billion to $40 billion it has generated from oil exports this year to buy food and medicine. It’s been arming Israel’s enemies and supporting Russia’s war machine as they seek to destroy America’s allies.

This is an opinion piece and is chock full of mischaracterisations that are used to mislead an already biased community.

 

[GOGETUMPOKE]

How does securing our own border actually help w what is going on w Israel? See you didn’t really answer my original question because I was trying to get to why.

You don't think a secure border is important in fighting terrorism?

 

[GOGETUMPOKE]

This is an opinion piece and is chock full of mischaracterisations that are used to mislead an already biased community.

Such as... I mean you do have all day.

 

[Polds4OSU]

We could sure use a leader right about now.

You literally are just spouting talking points with ZERO clue of what is actually going on...the People of Israel are FURIOUS with Ben Y and his entire cabinet because they see it as a massive failure of their own Govt and are praising Biden for his leadership right now

 

[GOGETUMPOKE]

You literally are just spouting talking points with ZERO clue of what is actually going on...the People of Israel are FURIOUS with Ben Y and his entire cabinet because they see it as a massive failure of their own Govt and are praising Biden for his leadership right now

View attachment 1649

Did you watch his speech yesterday? The best that the people of Israel can hope for is that Joe stays the hell out of the way and lets them take care of business.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

So (1) I don't have all day. (2) Just in general.

When I say he I’m referring in general to his admin under his presidency.

While I didn’t agree w everything in the infrastructure act there are aspects that are good. The CHIPs act is good. I believe backing Ukraine is good. NATO is growing. His admin continues to approve drilling permits. His admin ended the pandemic designation. Job growth continues to outpace expectations. Unions are taking action. Inflation which was cause in combination by the pandemic, uncontrollable circumstances, Trump admin and Biden admin is easing. We acted decisively by getting military forces deployed to ME. We galvanized allies in support of Israel.

I have been disappointed in issues as well. I agree that we need to address immigration and border security but a wall won’t do it and am extremely disappointed his admin agreed to more wall. He didn’t handle Afghanistan withdrawal well.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

You don't think a secure border is important in fighting terrorism?

We were specifically talking about Biden’s leadership in the current situation in Israel in a thread you started titled “Israel Under Attack”. And now you switch gears to our border. But yes immigration policy and border security are important in protecting us from terror. But that doesn’t happen w a stupid wall.

 

[PokitN]

just the left wing...is that the only one with all the ugly and antisemitism ? How disingenuous of you to only blame the Left. You and AOC have alot more in common than you think.

Extremists Celebrate the Attack on Israel​

Some white supremacists are celebrating Hamas’s attack on Israel. Chairman of the antisemitic National Justice Party (NJP) Mike Penovich posted on Telegram, “Hats off to the Palestinians for taking bold and courageous action in their own cause and showing us that the Zionist regime is not invincible.” He called out right-wing nationalists who are not actively celebrating the attack, demanding, “Who’s paying you? Who are you afraid of? Is the Overton window shifting enough for you yet?”

Nathan Damigo, the founder of the now defunct which supremacist group Identity Evropa, wrote on his Telegram channel, “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free!” and “Hamas really took #BantheADL to the next level.” Meanwhile, a leader of the white supremacist New Jersey European Heritage Association complained that the attack will result in “a new batch of migrants coming to America. Privileged supremacist Jews fleeing chaos they provoked like the cowardly rats they are. They will immediately jump to the head of the line.”
Jon Minadeo, the leader of the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL), posted on Gab “PALESTINIANS ARE KILLING THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN. God bless these brave men of Palestine.” While GDL supporters in the network’s telegram channel noted their happiness with posts such as, “Woke up to kikes in Israel getting their comeuppance. Life is good.” and “What a wonderful Shabbot [sic] today goys!”
Communications channels associated with the Islamic State (IS) are likewise seeing calls for violence against Israel and its supporters. Although IS views Hamas as theologically illegitimate, IS writers have expressed joy at seeing the Hamas attacks on Israel. One IS supporter posted on Telegram: “The Operation in Palestine today is just another” of Allah’s wonders. Other narratives from jihadist spaces characterize Hamas terrorists as martyrs, hope for additional casualties and see the conflict as a sign of end times to come.

Antisemitism Spikes on Social Media​

In the wake of the attack on Israel, antisemitic rhetoric spiked across social media platforms, particularly on extremist favorites 4chan and Telegram. This includes a rise in the use of phrases that call for violence against Jews, Israelis and Zionists.

The ADL Center on Extremism continuously monitors violent language and threats against the Jewish community/Israel in extremist spaces. While there is always an undercurrent of this hateful rhetoric, in the 18 hours since this conflict began, this type of rhetoric has spiked significantly.
Our data show extremists appear to be emboldened by the Hamas attack, and have increased their violent rhetoric, posting hate filled messages and calls for further aggression against Israel and its supporters. On October 6, 2023, the day before the attack, there were 59 Telegram messages from extremists threats and calls for violence against Jews, Israelis and Zionists. However, in the first 18 hours of October 7, 2023, this number surged to 347 Telegram messages, marking an alarming increase of approximately 488 percent.
There are also posts in which antisemites and white supremacists discuss hopes of similar future violence against Jews in America, using antisemitic slurs and white supremacist terms including “day of the rope” to refer to the attacks against Israel.

Antisemitic & Anti-Israel Conspiracy Theories Surface Online​

By mid-day on October 7, 2023, a range of antisemitic and anti-Israel conspiracy theories were circulating.
Some claimed that Hamas is controlled opposition directed by Israel. “Shadow of Ezra,” a large QAnon related Telegram channel, posited that the attack is a false flag attack orchestrated by Mossad designed to give Israel the opportunity to grab more land and create “Greater Israel,” reflecting a classic antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Others believe that such a surprise attack by Hamas is unlikely or even impossible, citing Israel’s extensive intelligence networks, and claiming that Israel knew about the attack ahead of time but chose not to act preemptively to justify the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians. White supremacist Nick Fuentes pushed this narrative on Telegram, writing that Israel’s intelligence failure “is a little suspicious in light of how the Likud government will benefit politically from this crisis both domestically and internationally.”
On X, a popular antisemitic influencer who goes by Lucas Gage posted several antisemitic and anti-Zionist conspiratorial claims. In one post, he alleged that Israel does not deserve sympathy because it helped coordinate the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a common antisemitic conspiracy theory. In another post, Gage blamed "our Zionist Occupied Govt," an antisemitic reference to the U.S. government.

Antisemitic conspiracy theorist David Icke also discussed the attack on X, alleging that Netanyahu and Hamas are "owned by the Global Cult" and that the attacks are another step towards World War 3.

I didn't realize antisemitism was only a left wing thing...thanks pokitn for your enlightening us...

Who the hell are any of these people? What power do they have? Are they sitting in congress? Are they in the UN? Are they about to graduate from Harvard, NYU, or Northwestern w/ a prestigious job offer? You'll have to forgive me for not buying your "both sides" bullshit. When every grandma who shared a Pro Trump Meme on Facebook or out of work factory worker that wanted a secure border was called a Nazi. All the while openly anti-Semitic members of Congress are screaming "From the River to the Sea" at DSA rallies for the past decade.

 

[PokitN]

BTW...Hezbollah has officially entered the war.

US Embassy in Lebanon being evacuated.

This is all so bad, none of it is going to end well.

 

[PF5]

Who the hell are any of these people? What power do they have? Are they sitting in congress? Are they in the UN? Are they about to graduate from Harvard, NYU, or Northwestern w/ a prestigious job offer? You'll have to forgive me for not buying your "both sides" bullshit. When every grandma who shared a Pro Trump Meme on Facebook or out of work factory worker that wanted a secure border was called a Nazi. All the while openly anti-Semitic members of Congress are screaming "From the River to the Sea" at DSA rallies for the past decade.

 

[GratefulPoke]

The facts dont agree with the narrative you are pushing @PokitN

A new study is casting doubt on the idea, held by some but not most American Jews, that antisemitism is just as prevalent on the far left as it is on the far right. Though far more American Jews consider the far right as the greater antisemitic threat, some academics and Jewish leaders have embraced horseshoe theory — the idea the opposite ends of an ideological spectrum are similar — and applied it to antisemitism.


Though the Anti-Defamation League, for example, has identified the far right as far more threatening to American Jews, its leader, Jonathan Greenblatt, has compared far-left critics of Israel as the “photo inverse” of the extreme right.


While antisemitism on the right tends to focus on conspiracy theories about Jews being disloyal to white people or rejecting conservative values, on the left it’s often tied to blaming Jews for actions undertaken by Israel.



A paper published in June in the journal Political Research Quarterly found that anti-Jewish beliefs are far more popular in right-wing circles, particularly among young people.


The results show that “there’s a problem on the young right,” said study author Eitan Hersh, an associate professor of political science at Tufts University. “It’s very interesting and, I think, concerning that we have this rare form of prejudice that is more common among young people and old people. It’s kind of shocking because if you look at other forms of prejudice, like racism, sexism, anti-gay attitudes, they’re just way higher among older people than younger people.”



For the study, a survey was sent to 3,500 American adults, 2,500 of them between the ages of 18 and 30. Respondents were asked to reply to a series of questions, such as whether they believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than the U.S.; if it’s appropriate to boycott Jewish-owned businesses to protest Israeli policies, and whether Jews have too much power. They were also asked questions to test for a double standard. For instance, one question would ask whether Jews who want to participate in activism must first denounce Israeli actions against Palestinians, and then a similar question was posed about Muslims denouncing a Muslim country’s actions.


Hersh said he was surprised by the results. Those on the left were less likely than even political moderates to believe Jews were more loyal to Israel. They were also less likely than moderates to think Jews have too much power or that boycotting Jewish businesses to protest Israel was acceptable. Young adults who held the most conservative views were almost five times more likely to say it was acceptable to boycott Jewish businesses than those on the farthest left and almost 10 times more likely to say Jews had too much power.


And while those who held these views of Jews also held the most extreme right-wing views, Hersh cautioned that this was not some tiny minority but rather a portion of the population that is “pretty significant” and is being radicalized by an online discourse that has little use for political correctness or tolerance.


He noted that antisemitic attitudes in young people were more prevalent in those who identify as Catholic, which could be a reflection of the growing “tradcath” or traditionalist Catholic movement, which openly condemns liberal reforms adopted by the Catholic Church and contains splinter groups that are often antisemitic.


“These are young people raised in a generation conditioned by social media to essentially say things that are gonna get attention,” said Hersh. “The older generation of conservatives is more dominated by evangelicals and the evangelical community has a much stronger relationship to Israel.”



Some groups often lumped into leftist demographics, such as Blacks and Hispanics, also have a tendency to hold more antisemitic views. But Hersh said those groups in actuality tend to be split politically. “The finding is that if you are Black or Hispanic and you identify as conservative, that is the population that has the highest, by far, rate of agreement with the antisemitic statements. If you are Black or Hispanic on the left, it’s much higher than white people on the left, but it’s still low relative to the right.”


While the survey did reveal much about the attitudes of the far left and far right about Jews, it was not aimed at describing how those attitudes manifest in the real world. A prior survey conducted by Hersh indicated that Jews on college campuses “pay a social cost if they support the existence of the State of Israel, or for participating in Jewish life on campus.” That rejection of Jews, he said, often comes from those who align with progressive groups. But far-right extremists have also been responsible for acts of violence, including the attack on Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 people dead — the deadliest antisemitic incident in American history.


Hersh said his hope is that this new data can be used to construct better, more efficient strategies for combating antisemitism.


“What do I want people to do? I want to say, ‘Here’s what the survey did show, now what is the next step?’” he said. “How do we address antisemitism in these communities? What’s the source of it in these communities? And where do we go from there, informed by data?”

 

[JTOSU]

You literally are just spouting talking points with ZERO clue of what is actually going on...the People of Israel are FURIOUS with Ben Y and his entire cabinet because they see it as a massive failure of their own Govt and are praising Biden for his leadership right now

View attachment 1649

You realize that you are using David Rothkopt’s tweet to back-up your claim that people are furious with Netanyahu and love Biden.

The same Rothkopt that has called multiple times for the US to stop sending money to Israel. The same Rothkopt who claims Netanyahu “deepend Israel apartheid and is illegally seizing settlements. While enforcing brutal racist polilies”

And the same David Rothkopt that actually wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “Biden deserves credit, not blame for Afganistan”.

I appreciate how much effort you put in to adding stories on this site. But Rothkopt is not a good source for unbiased view on Netanyahu.

 

[GratefulPoke]

You realize that you are using David Rothkopt’s tweet to back-up your claim that people are furious with Netanyahu and love Biden.

The same Rothkopt that has called multiple times for the US to stop sending money to Israel. The same Rothkopt who claims Netanyahu “deepend Israel apartheid and is illegally seizing settlements. While enforcing brutal racist polilies”

And the same David Rothkopt that actually wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “Biden deserves credit, not blame for Afganistan”.

I appreciate how much effort you put in to adding stories on this site. But Rothkopt is not a good source for unbiased view on Netanyahu.

The highlighted stuff is true. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others have very detailed studies on this. Netanyahu and his government are a big part of the problem.

Edit: This is an incredibly detailed report on this topic by amnesty international. Its a long read, but well worth it.

Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity

Israeli authorities must be held accountable for committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians, Amnesty International said today in a damning new report. The investigation details how Israel enforces a system of oppression and domination against the Palestinian people wherever it has...

www.amnesty.org

 

[GOGETUMPOKE]

Seems like a reasonable fella.

Report: Hamas calls for global Jihad, invasion of Israel, attack Jews worldwide on Oct. 13

A leader and founding member of Hamas, Khalid Mashal, reportedly called for a global Jihad on Tuesday, asking Muslims around the world to target the

americanmilitarynews.com

“The most important thing: He asked all Muslims around the world to carry Jihad by their souls; to fight and be martyrs for Al-Aqsa. He wants Muslims to fight against the Jews, starting with Muslims who live in the countries surrounding Israel: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt (but also other countries), to go to the borders and try to enter, each by his own means,” Rachid explained. “He said: This is the time for Jihad to be applied on the ground rather than just in theory. He asked the Mujahedeen to go in long caravans to spell their blood on the land of Palestine.”

 

[JTOSU]

The highlighted stuff is true. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others have very detailed studies on this. Netanyahu and his government are a big part of the problem.

Ironic that in a reply about biased sources you use an organization that other media has reported for having ties to the Muslim Brother hood and has long been known for holding anti-Israel bias. The AJC has said multiple times that Amnesty Int distorts the situation.
Care to credit an unbiased source saying Netanyahu promotes apartheid?

Amnesty International biased against Israel – report

David Collier releases a 200-page report on Amnesty International arguing the NGO is strongly biased against the Jewish state.

www.jpost.com

i24NEWS

www.i24news.tv

Amnesty International (AI) - ngomonitor

Amnesty International disproportionately singles out Israel for condemnation, focusing solely on the conflict with the Palestinians, misrepresenting the complexity of the conflict, and ignoring more severe human rights violations in the region. Amnesty distorts international law, misusing terms...

www.ngo-monitor.org

 

[GratefulPoke]

Ironic that in a reply about biased sources you use an organization that other media has reported for having ties to the Muslim Brother hood and has long been known for holding anti-Israel bias. The AJC has said multiple times that Amnesty Int distorts the situation.
Care to credit an unbiased source saying Netanyahu promotes apartheid?

Amnesty International biased against Israel – report

David Collier releases a 200-page report on Amnesty International arguing the NGO is strongly biased against the Jewish state.

www.jpost.com

i24NEWS

www.i24news.tv

Amnesty International (AI) - ngomonitor

Amnesty International disproportionately singles out Israel for condemnation, focusing solely on the conflict with the Palestinians, misrepresenting the complexity of the conflict, and ignoring more severe human rights violations in the region. Amnesty distorts international law, misusing terms...

www.ngo-monitor.org

That claim has no merit or evidence. The AJC has a habit of calling all criticism of the Israeli goverment as antisemetic as does the ADL. They are incredibly biased and can be disregarded on these issues.

Would you believe the former head of Mossad Tamir Pardo? https://apnews.com/article/israel-apartheid-palestinians-occupation-c8137c9e7f33c2cba7b0b5ac7fa8d115

How about Ami Ayalon, former head of Shin Bet? He was also joined by former high ranking officials Gilead Sher and Orni Petruschka https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-op...ervene-like-it-did-in-apartheid-south-africa/

“Israelis — and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, in particular — need to learn the consequences of going down a path that diverges dramatically from the values we have shared with the US, and the Biden administration should make this crystal clear. So should members of Congress. To have a special relationship based on shared values, you need to actually share values,” they wrote.

Also former Israeli general Amiran Levin: https://www.thenationalnews.com/men...neral-says-west-bank-occupation-is-apartheid/

Jimmy Carter - Peace Not Apartheid (https://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter/dp/0743285034)
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/...horities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
The Gatekeepers (a documentary and series of interviews with former heads of Shin Bet) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2309788/

So again, when a large number of former high ranking Israeli officials say this about Netanyahu's government, we should listen.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

Who the hell are any of these people? What power do they have? Are they sitting in congress? Are they in the UN? Are they about to graduate from Harvard, NYU, or Northwestern w/ a prestigious job offer? You'll have to forgive me for not buying your "both sides" bullshit. When every grandma who shared a Pro Trump Meme on Facebook or out of work factory worker that wanted a secure border was called a Nazi. All the while openly anti-Semitic members of Congress are screaming "From the River to the Sea" at DSA rallies for the past decade.

I realize not much can be said to show you how Ds don’t have exclusivity to anti-Semitic remarks behavior but it’s just a fact that both parties do. As to your points, yes BLM depictions this past wake are awful and any antisemitism should always be called out. Both sides.

"Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference," McCarthy said

Trump has dined known w anti-semites. He employed anti-semites in his administration. There are R members of congress who have also made disparaging remarks. He flirted w it again last week in remarks about immigrants from the souther border “poisoning our blood” which is dang near a word for word Hitler quote. He failed to deonoumce groups sympathetic to him who are anti-Semitic.

Matt Gaetz had a guest at a State of the Union who is a holocaust denier (though the guy later said he “was just testing an algorithm”). It is definitely both sides

 

[JTOSU]

That claim has no merit or evidence. The AJC has a habit of calling all criticism of the Israeli goverment as antisemetic as does the ADL. They are incredibly biased and can be disregarded on these issues.

Would you believe the former head of Mossad Tamir Pardo? https://apnews.com/article/israel-apartheid-palestinians-occupation-c8137c9e7f33c2cba7b0b5ac7fa8d115

How about Ami Ayalon, former head of Shin Bet? He was also joined by former high ranking officials Gilead Sher and Orni Petruschka https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-op...ervene-like-it-did-in-apartheid-south-africa/



Also former Israeli general Amiran Levin: https://www.thenationalnews.com/men...neral-says-west-bank-occupation-is-apartheid/

Jimmy Carter - Peace Not Apartheid (https://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter/dp/0743285034)
Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/...horities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
The Gatekeepers (a documentary and series of interviews with former heads of Shin Bet) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2309788/

So again, when a large number of former high ranking Israeli officials say this about Netanyahu's government, we should listen.

*Thank you for the links. I read the first two and will read the others later. I appreciate alternative POV.

*Agree with your last sentence. We should listen to opposition viewpoints.

* Your 2nd link has a title with the word “apartheid”, but it is not in reference claiming of Netanyahu‘s policies. It is just saying the US should use political force like they did when South Africa had apartheid.

* I think it is important to read and learn a lot from multiple sources. And understand the biases of some of the sources. If a European only read quotes from a Republican they would believe Biden is the devil. Same thing if a European only absorbed news from a Democrat, they think Republicans are evil. Opposition often uses hyperbole to push a narrative.

* I have not personally witnessed what happened in the past in Israel or what occured prior to the Hamas terror strikes. For me, the best thing to do is consume multiple media sources that are aligned more on news reporting and facts. I don’t know of any news organization that supports calling Netanhayu’s policies apartheid.

* adjacent topic: What is concerning is the growth of the DSA and the members of Congress aligning to the same anti-Israel beliefs. And with segments of BLM publicly supporting not only Palestine, but Hamas. I am glad AOC finally spoke out, but why silence from other members?
(Note: I don’t think people need to publicly condemn a tweet that they personally had nothing to do with - they weren’t responsible for that bad behavior. However, I do think it is certainly fair to now question any politician aligning with these orgs)

 

[HacklemanPoke]

Such as... I mean you do have all day.

The innuendos behind ramping up oil production and the comparison between the US and Iran for starters

 

[GratefulPoke]

*Thank you for the links. I read the first two and will read the others later. I appreciate alternative POV.

*Agree with your last sentence. We should listen to opposition viewpoints.

* Your 2nd link has a title with the word “apartheid”, but it is not in reference claiming of Netanyahu‘s policies. It is just saying the US should use political force like they did when South Africa had apartheid.

* I think it is important to read and learn a lot from multiple sources. And understand the biases of some of the sources. If a European only read quotes from a Republican they would believe Biden is the devil. Same thing if a European only absorbed news from a Democrat, they think Republicans are evil. Opposition often uses hyperbole to push a narrative.

* I have not personally witnessed what happened in the past in Israel or what occured prior to the Hamas terror strikes. For me, the best thing to do is consume multiple media sources that are aligned more on news reporting and facts. I don’t know of any news organization that supports calling Netanhayu’s policies apartheid.

* adjacent topic: What is concerning is the growth of the DSA and the members of Congress aligning to the same anti-Israel beliefs. And with segments of BLM publicly supporting not only Palestine, but Hamas. I am glad AOC finally spoke out, but why silence from other members?
(Note: I don’t think people need to publicly condemn a tweet that they personally had nothing to do with - they weren’t responsible for that bad behavior. However, I do think it is certainly fair to now question any politician aligning with these orgs)

No problem, I appreciate the constructive dialogue.

Second link was an extrapolation on a series of previous statements by Ami Aylon: https://www.theguardian.com/comment...ty-israel-apartheid-israeli-politicians-agree

Ami Ayalon, the former head of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service, has said his country has “apartheid characteristics”. Shulamit Aloni, the second woman to serve as an Israeli cabinet minister after Golda Meir, and Alon Liel, Israel’s former ambassador to South Africa, both told me that their country practices a form of apartheid.

Hyperbole is certainly out there, but my point is that these are not just people saying things, but they are also sharing the "why" they have come to these conclusions.

I took several history classes covering middle eastern history at OSU, majored in Political Science and have followed this situation for awhile.

I agree, there has been significant growth of antisemetic sentiments nationwide over the last several years. Musicians, NBA players, multiple sitting congress people, members of presidential cabinets and attacks on synagogues are the signs of this. It is heavily correlated with xenophobia and the rise of the replacement theory.

BLM as an organization is very problematic. It is why during the protests a couple years back, people said they supported the Black Lives Matter movement, but had negative views on BLM the organization. I cannot speak for those members of congress, but a couple of the quotes were pretty problematic. I have no issues with AOC's comments, I actually think her broken clock is right on this one.