Israel’s Consul General to NY Israel Nitzan last week tweeted: “I had the great pleasure of welcoming Congressman Bowman to the consulate today. Thank you Rep Bowman for the thoughtful conversation, I’m looking forward to building upon this relationship.”
To which the congressman responded: Thank you for having me, Israel Nitzan. Thoroughly enjoyed speaking with you, and look forward to building with you as well!”
Thank you for having me, . Thoroughly enjoyed speaking with you, and look forward to building with you as well! https://t.co/BW7QrH9hnW
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman)
Jacob Kornbluh, the new senior political reporter at the Forward, cited a statement by the Israeli consulate spokesman Itay Milner, who said, “The progressive movement and the State of Israel share common goals. That is why we welcome and encourage dialogue with all local elected officials, regardless of their political affiliations.”
Good to know.
Bowman was recruited by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez affiliated Justice Democrats in 2020 to run against Israel’s biggest ally in the House of Representatives at the time, 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel, Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Bowman was inspired to run by the insurgent 2018 campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and described his platform as “anti-poverty and anti-racist” with support for housing, criminal justice reform, education, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal.
Bowman’s campaign criticized Engel’s record on foreign policy was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the editorial board of The New York Times. His primary victory guaranteed him the win in the November general election seeing as Democrats outnumber Republicans 4 to 1 in the 16th’s congressional district and the Republicans didn’t even bother to run a candidate. Bowman won in a landslide, defeating Conservative candidate Patrick McManus with 84% of the vote.
It should be noted that Rep. Bowman, the founder and former principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in Eastchester, the Bronx, has little interest in foreign policy as part of his work in Congress—he is deeply invested in education instead. His committee assignments include the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. He also chairs the United States House Science Subcommittee on Energy.
But in February, Bowman joined the leftist campaign against Israel over its record of vaccinating Arabs in the Palestinian Authority. Bowman tweeted: “Every single human being has the right to be protected from the global enemy of COVID-19. This week, I wrote to the Israeli Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan about distributing the vaccine to Palestinians, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him soon.”
The Congressman enclosed his letter to the Consul General:
Every single human being has the right to be protected from the global enemy of COVID-19. This week, I wrote to the Israeli Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan about distributing the vaccine to Palestinians, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him soon. pic.twitter.com/sLIfA9d6dD
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman)