Oh, When The Sqaud Comes Marching In
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a conflict with a nature of cyclical violence. Times too many tragedies occur. The most recent tragedy is the murder of Al-Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Shireen Abu Akleh was an on-the-ground reporter for the Qatar-run news source.
Her most recent and, in a turn of events, last coverage was on an Israeli army operation in Jenin. On May 11th, news broke, particularly on social media; Palestinian-American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered.
Immediately after the news broke out about the murder, the finger-pointing began, especially on social media. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet expressed how Israel is willing to collaborate with the Palestinian Authority on a joint investigation, but the PA refused.
As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continually finds itself as a hot topic on Twitter, there has been a shockwave of anti-Israel sentiment, emphasizing antisemitic rhetoric and blame. As we cannot stop the choice to blame Israel for Shireen Abu Akleh’s death, it becomes worrisome when elected government Representatives of the United States solely blame Israel for an unconfirmed incident.
The United States State Department’s Ned Price and Jen Psaki, both notable United States Government figures who tend to speak on the behalf of President Biden, released statements supporting an investigation. You would think any nation that upholds the principles of democracy would encourage one.
But oh, when The Squad comes marching in. Four out of five Squad members of the Progressive-Whip shared their sentiments.
Rep. Omar claims Abu Akleh was killed “after making her presence as a journalist clearly known” to the Israeli military. At the moment, there is no truth to this claim. Representative Bush blames Israel and states, “We must demand an end to Israeli apartheid.” Calling Israel an apartheid fits into the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism. Bush states Israel is an apartheid nation, equating it to a racist endeavor.
Tlaib speaks upon how Israel has the luxury of “zero accountability.” Yet, Bennet is open to the chance of accountability. The double-standards are obvious.
Pressley contends that the Israel Defense Force shot Ms. Abu Akleh. However, she backtracks to say, “We must condemn it and ensure accountability and an independent investigation.” Her choice to then open a thorough investigation is counter-intuitive, as she already chose to paint Israel as culpable.
The glossing over of Israel’s call for a joint investigation by The Squad members and choosing to ignore the US President’s top officials is telling. President Biden is refraining from placing any blame.
American government officials pointing fingers will only lead to fueling a fire in the Diaspora. The Squad and other Progressives must be wary of claiming fact where the truth is unknown. Additionally, they should be weary of harming the Jewish population in the Diaspora, as they apply double-standards to Israel, which can lead the the ostracization of American Jews.
