(StraightNews.org) – An influential Israeli lobby group in Washington, DC, has launched a new ad suggesting that New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman is antisemitic. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) produced a video with Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel reading a detailed account of Bowman’s record. “My father taught me that antisemitism begins with lies and conspiracy theories, and it ends with violence,” Wiesal said.
In a second, longer video, a representative of AIPAC’s super PAC United Democracy Project asks AIPAC directly if it is accusing the Congressman of antisemitism, and the response, while not answering the question directly, announced its intention to shine a spotlight on Bowman’s “atrocious” approach to the Jewish state.
His record includes accusing Israel of genocide and voting against a resolution supporting the Jewish state after the October 7 terror attack by Hamas. Mr. Bowman is considered the most vulnerable of the Democrats’ progressive lawmakers and is a vocal critic of Israel’s war effort. He is facing a tough challenge in the Democrat primaries, and AIPAC has thrown its weight behind his challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
The United Democracy Project said Bowman is an anti-Israel extremist who traffics conspiracy theories, whereas Latimer is considered a long-term Jewish state supporter.
Critics of AIPAC have described the anti-Bowman campaign as a mistake and urged Democrats to side with the embattled Congressman, particularly in light of his climate change activities. In 2020, the New Yorker launched his Green New Deal for Public Schools and is considered one of Capitol Hill’s most committed climate campaigners.
Reports in the days following AIPAC’s ad suggest that Democrat voters may have heeded that call. Financial records reveal that Bowman raised more than $1 million in May, with $770,000 coming after the AIPAC broadcast. Campaign manager Gabe Tobias said the donations were a new record, and “The backlash to AIPAC’s attack ads began immediately.” He added that the Congressman’s “diverse” community “had his back” because he has always had theirs.
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