The Demonization of Israel in the Halls of Congress

Social media in times of conflict is notoriously chaotic and inaccurate. Myths about Israel, or rather, modern-day blood libels, spread like wildfire across the networks. But while these myths used to remain in the Arab world or in extremist circles (not that that isn’t a problem in and of itself), today we have an additional dilemma in that extremist voices are regurgitating emotionally charged false information about Israel in the halls of US Congress. Extremism against Israel has been legitimized with representatives Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush.

Over the last few years, “the Squad” has made a name for itself in its bashing of Israel, with Omar and Tlaib leading the propaganda campaign. From teary-eyed press conferences, to calling for conditioning of aid to Israel while hypocritically demanding aid to Palestinians be restored, Tlaib and Omar have brought extremism and division to the Democratic Party on an issue where there should be consensus.

The US-Israel relationship is strategic in that it benefits both sides. The aid given to Israel isn’t done as charity, and in fact it already has preconditions. The US-Israel aid package requires nearly all of it to be reinvested in the US economy, which ultimately amounts to 100,000 US jobs.

Additionally, the special relationship provides critical intelligence and technology that advances US security and interests around the world. Yet the attacks on this partnership by a small minority of the Democratic Party are growing more bold by the day, and if their claims weren’t completely based on propaganda and lies, it wouldn’t be so dangerous.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with Israel and Jews, there is a plethora of misinformation and demonization occurring, which obscures the real issues and leads to exaggerated claims that ultimately result in a rise in antisemitism. For example, since the Gaza conflict began this month, the UK reported a 250% increase in antisemitic incidents. That is why criticism of Israel, particularly in war times, requires carefully worded language from allies that doesn’t lend credence to antisemites.