Indianapolis deserves better than Rep. Andre Carson, and his latest show of bigotry should prove this to even his most ardent supporters.
As fighting intensifies in Israel with Hamas (a terrorist organization funded by Iran,) Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN,) Rashida Tlaib (D-MI,) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and others have moved quickly to decry Israel’s rational self-defense. They have pushed the radical lies (talking points) of calling Israel an “apartheid state,” and claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “racist” guilty of war crimes, along with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF.)
The situation in Israel is, in a word, tense. And that word may be a great understatement. What ostensibly sits at the heart of this most recent conflict is the removal of Palestinians from land that does not belong to them. A case in front of the Israeli Supreme Court highlights the issue:
The latest such dilemma involves the Sheikh Jarrah property dispute.
The case entails the disposition of property in what had been a Jewish-owned enclave and the site of the tomb of Temple-era scholar Shimon HaTzadik (“Simon the Righteous”), immortalized by his contributions to Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of the Fathers”) from 2,000 years ago. Jews lived there until the 1948 War of Independence, when the Transjordanian Arab Legion invaded the country and took both Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City. The Jews who lived there were ethnically cleansed, and Arabs began squatting on the Jews’ property.
Israeli laws seem to sit on the side of those trying to get their land back. The court of public opinion may seem to side with not throwing Palestinians out of their houses. This is not an easy needle to thread. Letting Palestinians keep land that is not theirs is a signal to the Palestinian Authority that they have a right to all of Israel. This, of course, is not true. Israel belongs to the Israelis; to the Jewish People.
But this isn’t about facts, it’s about narrative. Why discuss the question of land and rights when you can attack, and revive the violent obscenity that Israel has no right to exist?
The goal of recent discussions about the war between Israel and Hamas has sought to shift the discussion from one about Hamas rockets and Israeli airstrikes, to a discussion of the “right to resist” and whether all of Israel is “occupied” and a “settler” state. This narrative push has been made among western critics of Israel and by state media such as Turkey’s TRT as well as popular politicians and media in English, Arabic and other languages.
Progressive Democrats are guilty of this. Instead of discussing the issues, they are promoting the narrative of racism, war crimes and apartheid. The narrative is a lie. The bigotry of Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez and Carson is very, very real.
When Rep. Carson joined Rep. Tlaib at a “Free Palestine” rally outside the State Department in Washington DC, he showed Indianapolis that his past violent and bigoted relationships are not a fluke. When he agreed to speak on a panel that included Mazen Mokhtar, who was known to the FBI as a fundraiser for the Taliban, he claimed he didn’t know who would be on the panel and that the publication of his participation was a mistake. When Rep. Carson was questioned about his relationship (see, friendship) with Louis Farrakhan – who has called Adolph Hitler, “a great man” and compared Jews to termites – he not only refused to condemn Farrakhan, he proclaimed quite clearly that he will continue to work with him.
Rep. Carson took the microphone at the rally, and praised Rep. Tlaib, who accused Israel of implementing Jim Crow laws and accusing former President Trump of calling Mexicans “rapists.” (He didn’t do that.) Carson never denounced Hamas. Carson never denounced the missiles that Hamas launched into Israel, well over a thousand of them. He never denounced Iran, which funds Hamas. He added to the lies. He also added his profuse adoration of Rep. Tlaib:
I love this sister, here. I came out to support you, especially, because my love and appreciation for you has grown throughout the years. Because she is the realist, and she is the truth. Give it up for our sister. I love Congresswoman Tlaib.
This is the same Congresswoman who, on her first day in office, placed a Post-It note with the word, “Palestine” on it over Israel on a map in her office. No statement explaining her belief that Israel should not exist could be more clear than that.
Other speakers at the State Department rally accused Israel of, “wanton human rights abuses,” and framed the narrative as Israel being a unilateral aggressor. From the Jewish Community Relations Council in Indianapolis (which I often disagree with, but got this right:)
Rep. Carson’s words and actions exhibit an incendiary one-sidedness and a disregard of both history and the facts on the ground.
Indianapolis must remove Rep. Andre Carson from his unearned position; he has been living off of his grandmother’s legacy (former Indianapolis Congresswoman Julia Carson) for far too long, doing little for Hoosiers except embarrassing them with bad policy and bigoted friends.
Carson isn’t opposed to Israeli policy. He isn’t discussing the lawsuits at hand in Israel. He’s cavorting with Louis Farrakhan, praising Rep. Rashida Tlaib and refusing to condemn the terrorist organization, Hamas. There is no place in Indianapolis for this bigotry. The Indiana Republican Party must put up the candidates – and the funds! – who can challenge Rep. Carson. Hoosiers must say no to hate, and vote him out of office.
