How can anyone, much less a U.S. Congressman, condemn the state of Israel for rescuing two hostages?
Squad member and censured Rep. Jamaal Bowman can. Bowman was censured for pulling a fire alarm as a delaying tactic during an important vote. He should have been expelled but he’s a Democrat and a squad member, so all he got was a slap on the wrist.
Now Bowman is criticizing Israel for what Reuters called a “ferocious rescue operation” that saved the lives of two Israel-Argentine Jews. He referred to the “wave of attacks” by Israel, which was an accurate description of Israel’s assault to free the hostages.
But Bowman forgot one teensy, tiny detail in his diatribe against the Israelis; he made no mention of the hostages.
“While we watched the Super Bowl, [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu launched a wave of attacks and killed innocent civilians in Rafah—a place where many refugees fled for relative safety—despite warnings from Biden,” Bowman wrote Sunday night.
Is he so stupid that he didn’t mention the hostages because he was unaware of them, or is he so evil he deliberately left that fact out of his statement?
The world would like to know.
But Bowman made no mention of the hostages, instead portraying the “attacks” as proof that Israel’s government “cannot receive support.” Bowman’s claim that the mission killed scores of innocent civilians also comes from the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry, which said the rescue operation killed 67 Palestinians, 70 percent of whom were civilians. Israel countered that claim, saying “many of those killed” during the mission were Hamas militants, according to Reuters.
The Hamas Health — er, the Gaza Health Ministry would include the number of dead cats in those killed by Israel if they thought they could get away with it. As with every other statement on casualties from Hamas, if you believe what they’re saying, I’ve got a drawbridge over the Chicago River I can sell you for a song.
Bowman is looking to establish his radical bona fides in advance of the Democratic primary on April 2. He’s being challenged by a pro-Israel Democrat county executive and former state representative George Latimer. He’s no moderate but compared to Bowman, he’s positively reasonable.
Local Jewish leaders in Westchester County were appalled.
“Many of us tried to engage the congressman early in his term, seeking constructive dialogue about the damaging positions he took—especially on matters related to America’s relationship with Israel,” the rabbis wrote. “Regrettably, Congressman Bowman disregarded our outreach and doubled down on his anti-Israel policy positions and messaging.”
Bowman is not your average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill antisemite. He praised one of the most notorious Jew-haters in the United States. During a panel discussion on “Palestine: October 7 and After,” Bowman flattered author Norman Finkelstein, who celebrated the October 7 attack on Israel as a “heroic resistance” that “warm[ed] every fiber” of his soul.
“I’m also a bit starstruck, because I watch them all the time on YouTube,” Bowman said of Finkelstein. “You have given me the knowledge on YouTube before even coming here.” After the remark prompted criticism, Bowman downplayed his affinity for the author, saying, “I had seen a few interviews but was unaware of Norman Finkelstein’s completely reprehensible comments before this event.”
Bowman is a former Middle School principal. As I reported earlier this month, the Huffington Post discovered a “Wall of Honor” Bowman created at the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School (CASA) and included some definitely not very honorable people.
“The Wall also included former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), a notorious antisemite and 9/11 truther, as well as black militant Mutulu Shakur, who served a long prison sentence for armed robbery, and Assata Shakur, godmother of rapper Tupac Shakur and a radical activist and member of the Black Liberation Army who was convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper. She broke out of prison in 1984 and has been living in Cuba ever since,” I wrote on February 8.
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Bowman should have been expelled for pulling a fire alarm while knowing it was false. The Capitol Police accepted his explanation that he “accidentally” pulled it but everyone else knows the truth. The interruption not only called first responders to the Capitol where they weren’t needed but set in motion the entire internal security apparatus of the United States. No one knew whether the alarm was false or a prelude to a terror attack.
But Bowman remains in Congress, making outrageously ignorant and biased statements against Israel. Perhaps the good people of Westchester Country will do the right thing and retire Bowman, sending him back to running a radical school.