Senior Democrats Unite with Trump and Republicans to Criminalize Speech Against Israel

Jan 9, 2019

Politics

In a recent op-ed at Huffington Post, M.J. Rosenberg, a Jewish writer and himself a supporter of Israel, who has worked on Capitol Hill for some 20 years, has joined the likes of Pink Floyd iconic founder Roger Waters (News story link) to harshly criticize the growing support among Democrats in the Senate and House for legislation (S.720 and H.R.1697) that would make it a felony for Americans to support the international boycott against Israel, commonly known as BDS. Anyone guilty of violating the prohibitions will face a minimum civil penalty of $250,000 and a maximum criminal penalty of $1 million and 20 years in prison. The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and co-sponsored by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, and in the House by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL). Roksam was defeated by Democratic challenger Sean Casten in the 2018 election.

Rosenberg indicates: "I cannot imagine any reason for this egregious offense against the First Amendment except to please AIPAC and their AIPAC associated donors...Why would anyone support such a law? Yes, lots of people (including me) oppose boycotting Israel (although I certainly support boycotting the settlements) but how is it even possible to criminalize simply supporting a boycott to protest the occupation? After all, we boycott states and municipalities here at home to protest discrimination based on race, sexual identity or anything else. Most recently, the state of North Carolina was faced with a boycott to protest its policy against allowing transgender people to use public bathrooms. How can it be legal to refuse to do business with North Carolina but illegal to refuse to do business with Israeli settlements?"

Rosenberg continues: "Fortunately, this legislation can still be stopped. Here are lists of the Senate and House Democrats who are co-sponsoring this abominable bill. Let them know of your opposition. Just as important, if your legislator is not yet a co-sponsor, let him or her know that he or she better not become one. Many years ago, the #2 man at AIPAC, Steve Rosen (later indicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 wrote me the following about AIPAC’s activities: "A lobby is a night flower. It thrives in the dark and dies in the sun." The same applies to those in Congress who, disregarding their constituents, take their marching orders from AIPAC. It’s time to shine some sunlight on them. The First Amendment does not include an exception stating “does not apply to speech about Israel or its settlements."

Several pro-Israel, anti-Netanyahu, Jewish groups such as J Street and Americans for Peace Now have been critical of the right wing AIPAC lobby. Several in-depth studies have also addressed this problem in U.S. foreign policy, as reflected in books such as "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" by Jimmy Carter (former U.S. President), "They Dare to Speak Out" by Paul Findley (former U.S. congressman), and "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.

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