The Guardian published an article yesterday representing the latest installment of their long running series about how the pro-Israel lobby is why we can’t have nice things – or, put another way, how the ogres at AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) target saintly, progressive US politicians merely because they’re not supportive enough of Israel.
The piece (“Pro-Israel group pours millions into unseating New York progressive Jamaal Bowman”, May 22), by Alice Herman and Will Craft, begins thusly:
A Super Pac affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) has revved up its campaign spending, pouring $2m into a New York congressional primary to oppose the progressive incumbent Jamaal Bowman.
Campaign finance disclosures released this weekend showed the Super Pac, called United Democracy Project (UDP), spending about $1m in support of Bowman’s opponent, the moderate Democrat George Latimer and $1m in negative advertisements opposing Bowman. If the group succeeds in defeating Bowman, it will deliver a significant blow to the progressive wing of the House.
“They don’t want Israel to be criticized, they don’t want Israel to be held accountable – they don’t want anyone to mention Palestine or speak up for Palestinian rights and lives,” said Bowman during an interview with MSNBC on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, the Guardian doesn’t inform readers why AIPAC opposes Bowman’s re-election and is supporting his opponent in the Democratic Primary.
Context that could have been provided includes the fact that even J Street – the putatively ‘pro-Israel’ US lobbying group that’s in fact known primarily for its criticism of Israel and support for candidates who share their hyper-critical view of the state – recently pulled their endorsement of Bowman over his extreme anti-Israel rhetoric since Oct. 7.
Bowman, a member of the informal uber-progressive, anti-Zionist group in Congress known as ‘the Squad’, accused Israel multiple times of engaging in genocide, including as early as November, and smeared Israeli supporters with the charge of being complicit in genocide.
Further, the congressman called evidence of Hamas’ sexual violence on Oct. 7 a “lie” inspired by Israeli “propaganda” at an pro-Palestinian rally. He distanced himself from those comments only after the video was revealed, which was months after he made the remarks. Bowman also recently peddled another antisemitic conspiracy theory, claiming that AIPAC has “full control of Congress”.
Bowman also defended the decision to place a taxpayer-funded mural of notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan in a NY suburb, and, just this month, he hosted a fundraiser with an extremist Muslim leader who praised the Oct. 7 massacre.
The fact that the Guardian frowns upon the fact that a pro-Israel organisation in the US is (legally) spending money to defeat Bowman, while failing to reveal the congressman’s antisemitic record, is yet another example of the outlet’s dishonesty when covering issues of concern to the Jewish community.
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