The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for “anti-Zionism to be hatred of Jews” with 71.6% of the vote on the evening of the 5th.
The “anti-Zionism is antisemitism” resolution was written and put to a vote by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Of the 434 registered lawmakers, 311 were in favor and 14 were against. Of the remainder, 92 expressed their intention to abstain from attending and 17 did not vote.
All but one Republican congressman agreed, and 91 Democratic congressmen agreed. In other words, the 213 Democratic Party members were divided into 91 in favor, 14 against, 92 abstaining from attending, and 16 not participating. The Democratic Party’s approval rate is 42.7%.
Zionism is Jewish nationalism that established the Jewish state of Israel in the land of Palestine. Anti-Zionism refers to opposition to and criticism of the establishment and government of Israel.
Anti-Semitism is the feelings and actions of hatred and disgust toward Jews that peaked with the Nazi Holocaust.
When Hamas made a surprise invasion of southern Israel, Israel immediately launched retaliatory air strikes on Gaza, sparking the sixth Gaza War.
In response to the Hamas-Israel war, anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim protests and actions erupted all over the world, but in most cases anti-Jewish tendencies were overwhelming. Congresses of many Western countries, including the United States, have adopted resolutions condemning anti-Semitic actions.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the atrocities of Hamas following its condemnation of anti-Semitism. The Republican Party was not satisfied with this and went so far as to say that criticizing the Israeli state and government policies is anti-Semitism.
As international criticism and condemnation of the Hamas war being waged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government grows stronger than usual, the United States, which fully supports it, intends to break this trend with reinforcements.
At the same time, the Republican Party was aware of the divisions within the Democratic Party regarding the Hamas war and the current Israeli government and also had a political intention to reveal this.
All progressive members of the Democratic Party opposed or abstained from attending this resolution, which equated Zionism with Judaism. Jewish lawmakers also had more disapproval than approval.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.