Anti-Israel Activist Tapped for State Department Role Withdraws Name From Consideration

Sarah Margon’s nomination was stopped by support for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement Sarah Margon/Getty Images

Anti-Israel activist, who supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), was selected by the Biden administration for a crucial State Department position. She withdrew from consideration because of Republican opposition.

On Tuesday, Sarah Margon declared her intention to withdraw from the Senate after a lengthy Senate fight with Republicans. They believed that her anti-Israel activism had made her unfit for the job. Margon is the former Washington, D.C. director at Human Rights Watch, an organization that criticizes Israel, and accuses it in human rights violations. “crimes against humanity.” The Biden administration in 2021 tapped her to serve as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor—a post that would have given her power to target Israel.

“At present, I don’t see a path forward for confirmation, and after one and a half years, it’s time to move on,” Margon stated in the first statement published By Politico. “I will continue to work on democracy and human rights, and am grateful to President Biden and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken for their confidence in me and the honor of a nomination.”

Margon’s decision of withdrawing her nomination is a victory for Senate Republicans. They had blocked her nomination because she supported the anti-Semitic BDS Movement, which waged economic warfare on Israel. Margon gave praise to Airbnb for its 2018 decision to take listings out of disputed Israeli areas that Palestinians consider part of the occupied territories. Margon stated this at a confirmation hearing in September 2021 before the Senate. “I believe the private sector across the board has an important role to play in not promoting or pursuing discriminatory policies.”

Senator Jim Risch (R. Idaho), was the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He stated in a statement To National Review, “There are many qualified people on both sides of the aisle for positions in government, and I look forward to thoroughly reviewing the nominees the president sends to the Senate.”

Margon’s decision not to withdraw follows another controversy surrounding Human Rights Watch. Harvard University offered a fellowship to Kenneth Roth earlier in the month, but the university revoked it. Roth is the longtime head at Human Rights Watch and is widely criticized for being a fierce critic of the Jewish State. Roth’s fellowship was revoked by the elite school