Rep. Sara Jacobs uses House hearing to critique Israeli government.
In a recent House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on antisemitism this month, Democrat U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs used the opportunity to criticize the Israeli government.
Rabbi Shmuley, a well known American rabbi, added video of the incident on Twitter, writing that Jacobs “diluted” the conversation and was “trashing” the hearing on antisemitism.
“A lot of the rhetoric we’re hearing out of the current Israeli government that I would argue is as inflammatory as what you are citing from the Palestinian state not having a right to exist,” she said.
“We are conflating legitimate criticism of deeply problematic policies with antisemitism,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s important that we recognize the strong relationship between antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia.”
Jacobs proceeded to say that even as “American Jews” who feel a “special connection” to Israel, “should have a right to criticize what [Israel is] doing.”
This is not the first time Jacobs has stirred controversy with her views on Israel’s government.
In September 2021, Jacobs became a member of the team headed by Representative Andy Levin (D-Michigan) as they presented proposals to enforce stringent supervision and significant limitations on Israel’s utilization of U.S. defense assistance. Furthermore, Jacobs and the legislators sought to disallow expenditure on any initiative that infringed upon Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Moreover, the lawmakers’ group advocated for the incorporation of the two-state solution as the favored resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the United States’ legal framework.
