18 july 2019
US President Donald Trump pumps his fists as he arrives for a "Make America Great Again" rally at in Greenville, North Carolina, on July 17, 2019
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says President Donald Trump is "spewing his fascist ideology" after Trump’s supporters chanted "Send her back!" at a rally as the Republican president intensified his attacks on four congresswomen of color.
"As much as he's spewing his fascist ideology on stage, telling US citizens to go back because they don't agree with his detrimental policies for our country, we tell people that here in the United States: dissent is patriotic," Omar told reporters at the US Capitol.
"Here in the United States, disagreement is welcome, debate is welcomed and especially in the people's House all of our voices are uplifted and heard," Omar said.
“Nothing this president says should be taken to heart,” she added.
Trump stepped up his vilification of four liberal female lawmakers as “un-American” at a raucous rally on Wednesday, in Greenville, North Carolina.
As Trump recounted past comments by Omar, who was born in Somalia and emigrated to the United States as a child, the crowd began chanting: “Send her back!”
Despite criticism from Democrats that his comments about the four minority congresswomen are racist, Trump went on an extended diatribe about the lawmakers, saying they were welcome to leave the US if they did not like his policies on issues such as immigration and defending Israel.
“So these Congresswomen, their comments are helping to fuel the rise of a dangerous, militant hard left,” the Republican president said to roars from the crowd in North Carolina, a state seen as key to his re-election.
Later on Thursday, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he disagreed with the chants.
"I was not happy with it. I disagree with it. But again I didn't say that, they did," Trump said -- though he waited 12 seconds as the chant broke out.
Trump triggered a firestorm over the weekend after he tweeted that the four progressive members of the US House of Representatives, known as “the squad” - Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts - should “go back” where they came from, even though all are US citizens and three are US-born.
Trump's attacks have widely been seen as a bid to rally his right-wing base as the 2020 White House race heats up -- at the risk of inflaming racial tensions and deepening partisan divisions in America.
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says President Donald Trump is "spewing his fascist ideology" after Trump’s supporters chanted "Send her back!" at a rally as the Republican president intensified his attacks on four congresswomen of color.
"As much as he's spewing his fascist ideology on stage, telling US citizens to go back because they don't agree with his detrimental policies for our country, we tell people that here in the United States: dissent is patriotic," Omar told reporters at the US Capitol.
"Here in the United States, disagreement is welcome, debate is welcomed and especially in the people's House all of our voices are uplifted and heard," Omar said.
“Nothing this president says should be taken to heart,” she added.
Trump stepped up his vilification of four liberal female lawmakers as “un-American” at a raucous rally on Wednesday, in Greenville, North Carolina.
As Trump recounted past comments by Omar, who was born in Somalia and emigrated to the United States as a child, the crowd began chanting: “Send her back!”
Despite criticism from Democrats that his comments about the four minority congresswomen are racist, Trump went on an extended diatribe about the lawmakers, saying they were welcome to leave the US if they did not like his policies on issues such as immigration and defending Israel.
“So these Congresswomen, their comments are helping to fuel the rise of a dangerous, militant hard left,” the Republican president said to roars from the crowd in North Carolina, a state seen as key to his re-election.
Later on Thursday, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he disagreed with the chants.
"I was not happy with it. I disagree with it. But again I didn't say that, they did," Trump said -- though he waited 12 seconds as the chant broke out.
Trump triggered a firestorm over the weekend after he tweeted that the four progressive members of the US House of Representatives, known as “the squad” - Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts - should “go back” where they came from, even though all are US citizens and three are US-born.
Trump's attacks have widely been seen as a bid to rally his right-wing base as the 2020 White House race heats up -- at the risk of inflaming racial tensions and deepening partisan divisions in America.
A fired-up Donald Trump took aim once more at Democratic lawmakers who "hate" America as he hit the campaign trail Wednesday, hours after an opposition bid to impeach the US president over "racist" attacks was shot down in Congress.
Egging on a sea of supporters in Greenville, North Carolina, Trump reeled off the names of the ethnic minority congresswomen whom he has urged to "go back" to their countries of origin in a series of incendiary tweets.
"These left-wing ideologues see our nation as a force of evil," charged Trump -- whose tweets were condemned as "racist" a day earlier by the House of Representatives, although a subsequent attempt to launch impeachment proceedings failed in the chamber.
"Send her back!" the crowd roared when Trump cited Ilhan Omar -- one of just two Muslim women in Congress, whose criticism of Israel has been deemed anti-Semitic by many lawmakers.
"The way they speak so badly of our country," Trump told his supporters, decked out in the colors of the US flag and "Make America Great Again" caps.
"They want to demolish our constitution. Eliminate the values that built this magnificent country."
Pouring scorn on all four congresswomen -- known as "The Squad" -- Trump aimed perhaps his harshest taunts at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the outspoken New York lawmaker who has likened migrant detention centers at the Mexican border to concentration camps.
"I don't have time to go with three different names. We will call her Cortez," he mocked, to the crowd's delight.
'Enjoying' the battle
Trump's attacks have widely been seen as a bid to rally his right-wing base as the 2020 White House race heats up -- at the risk of inflaming racial tensions and deepening partisan divisions in America.
He himself has given credence to the notion, telling reporters he was "enjoying" his battle with the congresswomen "because I have to get the message out to the American people."
Democratic leaders have rallied around their colleagues -- Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. All are American citizens and all except Omar, who is of Somali origin, were born in the United States.
But even as anger simmered in Democratic ranks, many in the party joined Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting to block an attempt to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump -- illustrating divisions in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
Trump meanwhile put a victorious spin on the evening's news as he arrived in Greenville, pumped up for his first rally since announcing his 2020 re-election bid.
"We have just received an overwhelming vote against impeachment," he told reporters, calling it a "most ridiculous project."
"And that's the end of it. Let the Democrats now go back to work," Trump said.
'Those words are racism'
Trump's four-day attack on the congresswomen -- including taunts such as "if you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!" -- and the Democratic response have laid bare deep rifts in Washington.
While the rhetoric has enraged liberals, just four Republicans voted with the 235 Democrats Tuesday night to condemn Trump for "racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color."
Pelosi stood by the resolution condemning Trump's language. "By its definition, those words are racism," she said.
But she told reporters she would rather see ongoing investigations of Trump play out before launching any divisive impeachment effort.
Pushing back at Democrats, the president -- who years ago pushed the "birther" conspiracy that Barack Obama was not born in the United States -- has insisted he does not "have a Racist bone in my body!"
According to a Wednesday poll from USAToday/Ipsos, two-thirds of respondents disagree, judging that telling minority Americans to "go back to where they came from" is racist.
But initial indications suggest the episode has not hurt Trump's support among Republicans: his approval rating has risen five points to 72 percent, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
And the issue of immigration -- which was core to Trump's 2016 campaign, and will be again in 2020 -- continues to strike a powerful chord.
A Pew study released Wednesday showed that 57 of Republicans feel America risks "risk losing our identity as a nation" if it is too open to immigrants.
Dwelling at length on his upset victory over Hillary Clinton -- "one of the most extraordinary and exciting evenings in history of television" -- Trump urged his supporters in Greenville, "We have to do it again."
And the crowd chanted back: "Four More Years!"
Egging on a sea of supporters in Greenville, North Carolina, Trump reeled off the names of the ethnic minority congresswomen whom he has urged to "go back" to their countries of origin in a series of incendiary tweets.
"These left-wing ideologues see our nation as a force of evil," charged Trump -- whose tweets were condemned as "racist" a day earlier by the House of Representatives, although a subsequent attempt to launch impeachment proceedings failed in the chamber.
"Send her back!" the crowd roared when Trump cited Ilhan Omar -- one of just two Muslim women in Congress, whose criticism of Israel has been deemed anti-Semitic by many lawmakers.
"The way they speak so badly of our country," Trump told his supporters, decked out in the colors of the US flag and "Make America Great Again" caps.
"They want to demolish our constitution. Eliminate the values that built this magnificent country."
Pouring scorn on all four congresswomen -- known as "The Squad" -- Trump aimed perhaps his harshest taunts at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the outspoken New York lawmaker who has likened migrant detention centers at the Mexican border to concentration camps.
"I don't have time to go with three different names. We will call her Cortez," he mocked, to the crowd's delight.
'Enjoying' the battle
Trump's attacks have widely been seen as a bid to rally his right-wing base as the 2020 White House race heats up -- at the risk of inflaming racial tensions and deepening partisan divisions in America.
He himself has given credence to the notion, telling reporters he was "enjoying" his battle with the congresswomen "because I have to get the message out to the American people."
Democratic leaders have rallied around their colleagues -- Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. All are American citizens and all except Omar, who is of Somali origin, were born in the United States.
But even as anger simmered in Democratic ranks, many in the party joined Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting to block an attempt to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump -- illustrating divisions in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
Trump meanwhile put a victorious spin on the evening's news as he arrived in Greenville, pumped up for his first rally since announcing his 2020 re-election bid.
"We have just received an overwhelming vote against impeachment," he told reporters, calling it a "most ridiculous project."
"And that's the end of it. Let the Democrats now go back to work," Trump said.
'Those words are racism'
Trump's four-day attack on the congresswomen -- including taunts such as "if you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!" -- and the Democratic response have laid bare deep rifts in Washington.
While the rhetoric has enraged liberals, just four Republicans voted with the 235 Democrats Tuesday night to condemn Trump for "racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color."
Pelosi stood by the resolution condemning Trump's language. "By its definition, those words are racism," she said.
But she told reporters she would rather see ongoing investigations of Trump play out before launching any divisive impeachment effort.
Pushing back at Democrats, the president -- who years ago pushed the "birther" conspiracy that Barack Obama was not born in the United States -- has insisted he does not "have a Racist bone in my body!"
According to a Wednesday poll from USAToday/Ipsos, two-thirds of respondents disagree, judging that telling minority Americans to "go back to where they came from" is racist.
But initial indications suggest the episode has not hurt Trump's support among Republicans: his approval rating has risen five points to 72 percent, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
And the issue of immigration -- which was core to Trump's 2016 campaign, and will be again in 2020 -- continues to strike a powerful chord.
A Pew study released Wednesday showed that 57 of Republicans feel America risks "risk losing our identity as a nation" if it is too open to immigrants.
Dwelling at length on his upset victory over Hillary Clinton -- "one of the most extraordinary and exciting evenings in history of television" -- Trump urged his supporters in Greenville, "We have to do it again."
And the crowd chanted back: "Four More Years!"
Who is David Duke? |
Foreign Ministry in Berlin 'emphastically disassociates' itself from actions of diplomat Christian Clages, who signalled his approval for video praising attack on IDF soldiers, exchange between American white supremacist David Duke and another user about an alleged massacre of Jews
BERLIN -- Germany's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it has opened an investigation after learning that the official Twitter account of the country's mission to the Palestinian territories had "liked" anti-Israel tweets. The comments came after top-selling Bild newspaper reported that the "likes" came from the verified Twitter account of German diplomat Christian Clages, @GerRepRamallah. The multiple "likes" included one for a video praising an attack on Israeli soldiers, and another for an exchange between American white supremacist David Duke and another user about an alleged massacre of Jews. "The Foreign Ministry disassociates itself emphatically from the tweets mentioned," the ministry said in a written statement to The Associated Press. "The content is unacceptable and contradicts the views of the German government." It said it has initiated an in-house investigation to determine "how these 'likes' came about and will then determine consequences." The ministry said "Clages has explicitly distanced himself from the statements in the tweets." |
17 july 2019
Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (C) and Rashida Tlaib (R) with longtime BDS supporter and civil rights leader Angela Davis on 30 April
Resolution comes amid crackdown on Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. By
MEE staff
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has introduced a bill that seeks to assert Americans' right to participate in boycotts both at home and abroad, a move that would challenge anti-boycott legislation at the federal and state levels across the United States.
Put forward late on Tuesday, HR 496 affirms the First Amendment right of US citizens to participate in boycotts "in pursuit of civil and human rights".
The measure was co-sponsored by Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American congresswoman from Michigan, and Democratic Congressman John Lewis, a veteran civil rights leader and longtime member of the US House of Representatives.
"We are introducing a resolution … to really speak about the American values that support and believe in our ability to exercise our first amendment rights in regard to boycotting," Omar told news website Al-Monitor about the proposed legislation.
It comes days after Donald Trump attacked Omar, Tlaib and two other progressive Democrats - congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley - for their criticism of Israel, among other things.
The US president's racist comments were widely decried by lawmakers from both major major US political parties, who passed a House resolution on Tuesday condemning them as an attack on people of colour.
While Omar's bill makes no mention of Israel or Palestine, it would protect US citizens' right to join the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
BDS aims to pressure Israel over its human rights abuses against Palestinians by encouraging the international community to boycott Israeli goods and institutions.
In her interview with Al-Monitor, Omar said the legislation also presents "an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement".
Currently, several proposed federal bills - backed by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers - are circulating in the House and Senate that seek to oppose "efforts to delegitimise the State of Israel" and the BDS movement in particular.
BDS has also has come under fire at the state level, as 28 US states have passed legislation that either restricts or bans individuals or companies seeking to do business with the state government from boycotting Israel.
Only eight US states have not introduced some kind of anti-BDS legislation or resolutions.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other rights groups have condemned anti-BDS legislation as unconstitutional, and they have successfully challenged a few pieces of legislation in court.
'Breath of fresh air'
On Wednesday, Omar's bill was sent to the House judiciary committee for consideration by other lawmakers.
The Arab American Institute (AAI) immediately showed its support for the resolution, sharing news of its introduction with the hashtag #Right2Boycott. tweet
"The current efforts to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights put politics above the Constitution," said the group's executive director, Maya Berry, in a statement on Wednesday.
"The need to affirm our values as Americans - that vigorous human rights advocacy is central to who we are - could not be more great," Berry said.
"This statement by the cosponsors is a breath of fresh air, and affirms that all Americans have the right to engage in the political process as equal participants."
Both Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women to ever be elected to Congress, are also the first two congresspeople to ever openly support the BDS movement.
Their position highlights an ongoing shift among Democrats, as progressive representatives are more openly criticising Israeli policies towards Palestinians, a break from the party's longstanding, unwavering support for Israel.
Several top Democrats have been critical of anti-BDS laws, in particular, saying they violate the right to freedom of speech guaranteed under the US Constitution.
In February, Democratic presidential contenders voted against a Senate bill that would encourage state and local governments to sanction contractors who boycott Israel.
"Unquestioning support for Israel has been accepted for a very long time, but now there are limits to how far they are willing to go," Omar Baddar, deputy director at the Arab American Institute, told MEE at the time.
Democrats have also introduced legislation that would bar US financial support to Israel that could be used "for Israel's systematic military detention, interrogation, abuse, torture, and prosecution of Palestinian children".
The bill, called the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, was introduced in April and sent to the House Committe on Foreign Affairs.
It currently has 20 co-sponsors, including Omar and Tlaib.
Resolution comes amid crackdown on Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. By
MEE staff
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has introduced a bill that seeks to assert Americans' right to participate in boycotts both at home and abroad, a move that would challenge anti-boycott legislation at the federal and state levels across the United States.
Put forward late on Tuesday, HR 496 affirms the First Amendment right of US citizens to participate in boycotts "in pursuit of civil and human rights".
The measure was co-sponsored by Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American congresswoman from Michigan, and Democratic Congressman John Lewis, a veteran civil rights leader and longtime member of the US House of Representatives.
"We are introducing a resolution … to really speak about the American values that support and believe in our ability to exercise our first amendment rights in regard to boycotting," Omar told news website Al-Monitor about the proposed legislation.
It comes days after Donald Trump attacked Omar, Tlaib and two other progressive Democrats - congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley - for their criticism of Israel, among other things.
The US president's racist comments were widely decried by lawmakers from both major major US political parties, who passed a House resolution on Tuesday condemning them as an attack on people of colour.
While Omar's bill makes no mention of Israel or Palestine, it would protect US citizens' right to join the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
BDS aims to pressure Israel over its human rights abuses against Palestinians by encouraging the international community to boycott Israeli goods and institutions.
In her interview with Al-Monitor, Omar said the legislation also presents "an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement".
Currently, several proposed federal bills - backed by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers - are circulating in the House and Senate that seek to oppose "efforts to delegitimise the State of Israel" and the BDS movement in particular.
BDS has also has come under fire at the state level, as 28 US states have passed legislation that either restricts or bans individuals or companies seeking to do business with the state government from boycotting Israel.
Only eight US states have not introduced some kind of anti-BDS legislation or resolutions.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other rights groups have condemned anti-BDS legislation as unconstitutional, and they have successfully challenged a few pieces of legislation in court.
'Breath of fresh air'
On Wednesday, Omar's bill was sent to the House judiciary committee for consideration by other lawmakers.
The Arab American Institute (AAI) immediately showed its support for the resolution, sharing news of its introduction with the hashtag #Right2Boycott. tweet
"The current efforts to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights put politics above the Constitution," said the group's executive director, Maya Berry, in a statement on Wednesday.
"The need to affirm our values as Americans - that vigorous human rights advocacy is central to who we are - could not be more great," Berry said.
"This statement by the cosponsors is a breath of fresh air, and affirms that all Americans have the right to engage in the political process as equal participants."
Both Omar and Tlaib, the first two Muslim women to ever be elected to Congress, are also the first two congresspeople to ever openly support the BDS movement.
Their position highlights an ongoing shift among Democrats, as progressive representatives are more openly criticising Israeli policies towards Palestinians, a break from the party's longstanding, unwavering support for Israel.
Several top Democrats have been critical of anti-BDS laws, in particular, saying they violate the right to freedom of speech guaranteed under the US Constitution.
In February, Democratic presidential contenders voted against a Senate bill that would encourage state and local governments to sanction contractors who boycott Israel.
"Unquestioning support for Israel has been accepted for a very long time, but now there are limits to how far they are willing to go," Omar Baddar, deputy director at the Arab American Institute, told MEE at the time.
Democrats have also introduced legislation that would bar US financial support to Israel that could be used "for Israel's systematic military detention, interrogation, abuse, torture, and prosecution of Palestinian children".
The bill, called the Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, was introduced in April and sent to the House Committe on Foreign Affairs.
It currently has 20 co-sponsors, including Omar and Tlaib.
15 july 2019
Avigdor Lieberman, the former Israeli Defence Minister, renewed his incitement against Palestinian citizens on Monday, according to Israeli sources.
Speaking at a campaign trail meeting in Kiryat Ono, the Yisrael Beiteinu chair described the “conflict” as “three-dimensional”, “with the Arab countries, with the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs”, and that “the third conflict, with Israeli Arabs, is the most difficult”.
He added, “we do not have a separate conflict with the Palestinians, and anyone who claims so, does not understand what he is talking about or is being deliberately misleading.”
“Our conflict is with the entire Muslim world, with the entire Arab world,” Lieberman declared.
The comments were published on Zman Yisrael, the Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site, “and approved for publication by Lieberman though the event was billed as closed to press”.
Lieberman told the attendees that “the arrangement must be three-dimensional and simultaneous with the Arab League, with Israeli Arabs and with the Palestinians”, and “any attempt to reach a separate agreement with the Palestinians or the Arabs of Israel will fail.”
As noted by the report, Lieberman has long called for a permanent settlement to include redrawing Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries so as to remove major population centers of Palestinian citizens.
Speaking at a campaign trail meeting in Kiryat Ono, the Yisrael Beiteinu chair described the “conflict” as “three-dimensional”, “with the Arab countries, with the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs”, and that “the third conflict, with Israeli Arabs, is the most difficult”.
He added, “we do not have a separate conflict with the Palestinians, and anyone who claims so, does not understand what he is talking about or is being deliberately misleading.”
“Our conflict is with the entire Muslim world, with the entire Arab world,” Lieberman declared.
The comments were published on Zman Yisrael, the Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site, “and approved for publication by Lieberman though the event was billed as closed to press”.
Lieberman told the attendees that “the arrangement must be three-dimensional and simultaneous with the Arab League, with Israeli Arabs and with the Palestinians”, and “any attempt to reach a separate agreement with the Palestinians or the Arabs of Israel will fail.”
As noted by the report, Lieberman has long called for a permanent settlement to include redrawing Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries so as to remove major population centers of Palestinian citizens.