It has been recently reported that Donna Edwards is planning on running for the US Senate, in the wake of the news that longtime pro-Israel Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski is going to retire. It is a great tragedy for the pro-Israel community, as Mikulski represented a dying breed of moderate Democrats and was supported by AIPAC. Her departure has made room for a younger generation of radical leftists empowered by the Obama administration to come to power.
According to a report in the Washington Post, Edwards is not the only one running for this position. US Congressman Chris Van Hollen also hopes to replace Mikulski as US Senator and the Republicans, recently invigorated by the election of a Republican Governor in a predominantly Democratic state, are hopeful of also being able to grab a US Senate seat, especially if there is a long drawn out battle for the Democratic Party nomination for the US Senate seat.
In my humble opinion, all pro-Israel voters should go out of their way to help Van Hollen get the Democratic Party nomination and if he does not succeed, to help the Republicans get the US Senate seat for Maryland because Donna Edwards is vehemently anti-Israel. Edwards earned the 2010 Hall of Fame for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs because she voted against H. Res. 34 “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself” during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2008. She is rated number four by the Arab American Institute for her pro-Palestine pro-Arab voting record.
Among the legislation she voted against was H. 1006, which recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital city; H. 1501, which calls upon withholding money from the UN until it stops accusing Israel of committing war crimes; H. 268, which opposes the PA unilaterally declaring a state; H. 2457, which prohibits the US government from possessing documents referring to a Palestinian state; and H. 2829, which calls for defunding UNRWA because they perpetuate rather than solve the Palestinian refugee crisis.
Additionally, Donna Edwards cosigned a letter by McDermott/Ellison condemning the Gaza blockade and even visited Gaza in 2009. She also voted against H. 867, which called upon US President Obama to stop further consideration of the Goldstone Report, a report that its author has now rejected as not accurate. According to the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs, “Congresswoman Donna Edwards has been a true friend of the Palestinians. Congresswoman Edwards’ record has been among the best in Congress, consisting pushing to end the Israeli occupation.”
In 2010, it was reported that New Policy PAC, an organization lobbying to end the siege on Gaza, freeze Jewish settlements, and supports the creation of a secular democratic state in all of Israel-Palestine, donated $12,000 to Donna Edwards, according to the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs. Indeed, New Policy PAC held a controversial fundraiser for Edwards that was even criticized by the left wing organization J Street, another questionable group that has been significantly working to undermine AIPAC and the Israeli government, which supports many anti-Israel individuals without recognizing them as anti-Israel. Interestingly, New Policy PAC ranks Donna Edwards number two on their congressional score card, but J Street continues to support Donna Edwards and insists that she is not anti-Israel despite their opposition to her doing a fundraiser with New Policy PAC.
New Policy PAC founder Sama Adnan, while denying that their organization supports either a one state solution or two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, told the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs: “As American citizens concerned for America’s interests and long term security, we do not pretend to know what is the right solution for Israelis and Palestinians. However, we do proclaim our right to protest our taxpayer money going into supporting the Israeli occupation, Jewish settlements or any illegal activity by the Israeli government.”