Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY), representing Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights, on Thursday joined Senator Cory Booker (D- NJ) in a letter the two sent to President Joe Biden about the urgent need “to address Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.”
On Friday, Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and several other Democrats sent out a press release saying, “We stand together to condemn the vandalism discovered this morning targeting Representative Dan Goldman’s district office. While everyone has a First Amendment right to peacefully protest and make their voice heard, that must not extend to intimidating staff or outright criminal behavior. This is a deeply personal and emotional issue for all who care about a future of peace for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, but we cannot let our disagreements turn us against each other and inflame violence here at home.”
The vandals graffitied in red and white paint: “Blood on your hands,” “Free Palestine,” and “Let Gaza live” on the front of the office and the sidewalk on 9th Street in Park Slope.
These guys need to learn that we will never let terrorism win.
Just curious if all Congressional offices were targeted, or just the Jewish ones like @RepDanGoldman? pic.twitter.com/NvHLZKmg4U
— Yaakov (Jack) Kaplan (@JackKaplanNY) November 17, 2023
Who says there’s no poetic justice in God’s great universe?
To remind you, on Thursday we reported that the man in charge of the “West Bank,” IDF Central Command Commander Major General Yehuda Fox stated emphatically that as far as he was concerned, the accusations regarding settler violence are libelous.
“99% percent of the hilltop youths do no harm to anyone, neither the army nor anyone else. There is no such concept as ‘settler violence.’ I’ve been saying this on numerous occasions. There are violent incidents in all kinds of places around the country,” Fox declared.
But Democrats on the hill know better. “Since October 7th, we have seen the exacerbation and dramatic proliferation of settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. The per-day average of publicly documented incidents of settler violence has risen 133%, and includes killings, physical assaults, destruction of property, forced evictions, unlawful detentions, death threats, and large-scale intimidation.”
The part about the 133% in settler violence looked familiar, so I checked it out: it is a direct quote from Al-Haq on November 9: “The rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians is unacceptable, undermines security in the West Bank, and threatens prospects for a lasting peace,” and, “So far this year, attacks have increased by 133% compared to the previous year.”
Al-Haq is a leader in anti-Israel “lawfare” and BDS campaigns, which received $7.2 million from Sweden between 2020 and 2023 (NGO Monitor). Al-Haq shares its funding with partners including Al Mezan, Defense for Children International – Palestine, Badil, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Gisha, and Yesh Din.
Booker and Goldman added: “We further worry that extreme members of the Israeli governing coalition may be inflaming tensions and inciting violence in the West Bank, including by reportedly distributing rifles to civilians, including to settlers, without appropriate vetting and approvals.”
Here’s something the two Democrats neglected to mention: since January, 38 people have been murdered by PA Arab terrorists who regularly roam the highways of Judea and Samaria, and breach settlements, farms, gas stations, coffee shops, and supermarkets, looking to murder Jews. 35 Israeli citizens, 1 tourist, and an Arab worker were killed by these terrorists in 2023 in the “West Bank,” and 113 were injured, 11 of them security personnel. 2023 is the deadliest since 2005 in terms of terrorist murders. Do we want these Jews to remain defenseless before the onslaught of the next Hamas massacre?
The part about handing weapons to settlers “without appropriate vetting and approvals” is a sheer blood libel. We reported on Friday that the National Security Ministry has beefed up its staff to properly process the huge increase in demand for gun permits. Compared to the US, where a love-crazed teenager can pick up a bagful of assault rifles and take out an entire school, control and vetting in Israel are meticulous.
BAR MITZVAH IN THE AGE OF HAMAS TERRORISM
Now, Congressman Dan Goldman is as pro-Israel as can be when one is a Democrat. In fact, he and his family were in Israel to celebrate a bar mitzvah when the Hamas massacre began on October 7. The Goldmans, who were in a Tel Aviv hotel on Shabbat morning, were rudely awakened by the sirens as the barrage of rockets started hitting civilian centers all over Israel.
Goldman told NY1: “I think what this war is revealing is that Hamas is a brutal terrorist regime that does not help or represent the Palestinian people. We need to eliminate and eradicate Hamas and remove them from power so that the Palestinian people can have leadership that actually invests in them and supports them and builds out a possible peace partner,” and stressed that as long as Hamas is in control, “there will be no peace in the Middle East.”
So, why is Dan Goldman spreading vicious lies that he borrows from extreme anti-Israel groups? Is it because his district is about as left-wing as they come outside Michigan and Minnesota? There must be a reason why he so callously collaborates with another supposedly pro-Israel Democrat to inflict such grave injustice on half a million Jews in Judea and Samaria, and on their democratically-elected representatives.
Toward the end of their letter to Biden, Booker and Goldman write: “We strongly believe that a two-state solution remains the only genuine option to achieve a just, secure, and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians. However, settler violence against Palestinian civilians destroys the very seeds of trust and cooperation needed to make progress toward a two-state outcome and an enduring peace in the region.”
Dear God, it’s not 38 murders of Jews by “Palestinians” in Judea and Samaria, it’s not 1,200 murders of Jews by “Palestinians” in the Gaza envelope – it’s the settlers.
Have a good week, and when the time comes, dear brothers and sisters, please, vote Republican.
