By Guy Page
Recent events in Vermont and Washington show that many Vermont Progressives, socialists and others on the political left do not support the State of Israel in its struggle against the October 7 Hamas invasion.
- In Montpelier last Saturday, about 250 people gathered on the State House lawn to chant (among other slogans) ‘from the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.’ With a very few exceptions, the rallyers were young white people, not ethnic Palestinians or otherwise people of color. Most of the speakers used language clearly appealing to the political left.
- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who is Jewish and a self-described socialist, opposes a pending foreign aid package because it funds Israeli military response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. “I do not think we should be appropriating $10.1 billion for the right-wing, extremist Netanyahu government to continue its current military strategy. What the Netanyahu government is doing is immoral, it is in violation of international law, and the United States should not be complicit in those actions,” Sanders said in a Dec. 5 statement. (He also excoriated Hamas and said he supports defensive military spending for Israel.)
- Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont), who is Jewish and is a member of the Progressive caucus of the U.S. House, declined to support a Congressional resolution ‘strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.’ Instead she voted ‘present,’ claiming that the “resolution makes a dangerous, unequivocal assertion that anti-Zionism is always antisemitism.”
The House roll call vote was 311 yes, 14 voting no, and 92 voting present. Republicans voted 216 yes, 1 no. Democrats voted 95-13, and all 92 ‘present votes. The No votes included longtime members of the Progressive ‘Squad’ – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar.
Balint explained her vote in a press release yesterday: “I’m deeply concerned by the rise in antisemitism in recent months – it poses a clear and present threat to Jewish communities in Vermont and around the world. My voting record stands clearly against antisemitism and any form of hate and will continue to. But today’s resolution makes a dangerous, unequivocal assertion that anti-Zionism is always antisemitism. This is another case of the majority using the real fears of many Jewish Americans to sow political divisions. As a long-standing critic of the extremist Netanyahu government, statements that paint legitimate criticisms of Israel as antisemitic are not only dangerous but undemocratic. We must lead with our values, rather than stoking hate and fear. I’m proud to consistently and firmly stand up against antisemitism and bigotry.”
The following is the entire text of the resolution, H.R. 697:
Resolution strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.
Whereas acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country nor in the global community;
Whereas the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism is widely accepted and serves as a critical tool to help individuals comprehend and identify the various manifestations of antisemitism;
Whereas, since the massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist organization, on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States have spiked 388 percent over the same period last year, according to reports from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism;
Whereas drastic increases in antisemitic activity has also been seen in Jewish communities around the world since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks;
Whereas the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which is a rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, has been used by anti-Israel protesters in the United States and globally;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, a car with individuals holding Palestinian flags appeared to intentionally swerve out of its lane, nearly hitting a visibly Jewish family in Clifton, New Jersey;
Whereas, on October 15, 2023, an individual in New York, New York, punched a Jewish woman in the face at Grand Central Terminal solely because she was Jewish;
Whereas, on October 28, 2023, a Jewish man in Sydney, Australia, was severely injured by 3 anti-Israel rioters, in which he was punched in the head at least 12 times, suffered a concussion, 2 black eyes, and 4 spinal fractures;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, a Jewish woman’s store in New York City was attacked by a mob of anti-Israel protesters all because she hung posters of Israeli hostages in the store window;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, 4 masked men walked into a restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and proceeded to tear down an Israeli flag and yelled “Free Palestine”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, an Arizona man was arrested by Federal authorities for threatening to execute a local Rabbi and “every other JEW I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, during an anti-Israel protest in Washington, DC, rioters shouted their support for Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, and other acts of terror targeting Israel, called for the end of the State of Israel, and spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes;
Whereas, during that same protest in Washington, DC, rioters stormed and tried to scale the White House fence, vandalized property by staining blood-red handprints onto the side of the White House pillars, and spray painted “Death to Israel” and “Glory to our Martyrs” on buildings in DC;
Whereas, on November 6, 2023, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, tragically died due to injuries sustained when an anti-Israel protester struck him in the head with a megaphone in Los Angeles, California;
Whereas, on November 11, 2023, as part of a massive anti-Israel protest, rioters set off smokebombs in front of a synagogue in London, England;
Whereas, on November 12, 2023, police found several headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio, were desecrated with swastikas;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, a mezuzah was torn off the doorpost of a Jewish person’s apartment and a knife was stuck into the wood in its place in Milan, Italy;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, the evening before the March for Israel in Washington, DC, anti-Israel rioters vandalized a Jewish medical tent by spray painting “Free Gaza”, “Palestine Will Be Free”, and “Gaza Will Win”; and
Whereas, on November 15, 2023, anti-Israel protesters illegally blocked and violently attacked the Democratic National Committee headquarters, endangering the lives of individuals inside, including Members of Congress, and injuring 6 Capitol Police Officers; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) strongly condemns and denounces all instances of antisemitism occurring in the United States and globally;
(2) reaffirms and reiterates its strong support for the Jewish community at home and abroad;
(3) calls on elected officials and world leaders to condemn and fight all forms of domestic and global antisemitism;
(4) clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism; and
(5) rejects all forms of terror, hate, discrimination, and harassment of members of the Jewish community.