Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voted for a resolution on Wednesday which endorses a bogus Israel lobby definition of anti-Semitism.
In backing the measure, she broke with several other members of the so-called Squad, the dwindling group of progressive Democrats in Congress, and sided with the Anti-Defamation League, a powerful Israel lobby group that welcomed the resolution’s passage.
Representatives Cori Bush of Missouri, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan were the only Democrats to vote no on the resolution.
I think her explanation is awful. She amounts objections to her signing the resolution to “squabble over 3rd degree acknowledgment IHRA exists.” This is a complete lie.
It directly references the IHRA definition of antisemitism (I have no idea what she’s getting at with the degree of removal of referencing a separate state dept guideline which itself references the IHRA definition, since if she’s referring to the “Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism,” which the resolution “welcomes” and “calls upon states and international bodies to endors[e] and embrac[e],” this is just another reference and not at all just “acknowledgment IHRA exists,” instead citing their definition of antisemitism as the most authoritative and providing no other examples) and calls it “an important internationally recognized tool to increase understanding of antisemitism.” This is obviously the definition of antisemitism that is used within the resolution. How is this just an “acknowledgement IHRA exists,” much less separated by 3 degrees because a 2/3 degree separated reference happens later in the resolution? Are we supposed to ignore the direct reference? How has nobody pointed this out? Am I misunderstanding something?
Yes, it explicitly says the definition is nonbinding. The resolution is nothing but rhetoric. I don’t see how this is a defense. So you signed your “Hamas terrorist attack against Israel” resolution for no material reason. She justifies her signing of the resolution by saying:
This isn’t simply an “imperfect vehicle”–the entire basis of the guidelines and of the resolution is the IHRA definition. Your condemnation of “antisemitism” is slop that dilutes the term and will help nobody.