{"id":1112558,"date":"2021-12-12T19:43:28","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T00:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1112558"},"modified":"2021-12-12T19:43:32","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T00:43:32","slug":"progressive-democrat-blasts-bds-lgbtq-activists-who-defend-hamas-terror-group-that-murders-lgbtq-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/progressive-democrat-blasts-bds-lgbtq-activists-who-defend-hamas-terror-group-that-murders-lgbtq-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Progressive Democrat Blasts BDS, LGBTQ Activists Who Defend Hamas Terror Group That \u2018Murders LGBTQ People\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fprogressive-democrat-blasts-bds-lgbtq-activists-who-defend-hamas-terror-group-that-murders-lgbtq-people%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1112558&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) blasted the \u201cantisemitic double standard\u201d Israel is held to by the left and accused the radical anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement of \u201cinflicting\u201d \u201cstupidity, moral bankruptcy, and absurdity\u201d on American politics as LGBTQ activists \u201cdefend a terrorist organization that systematically murders LGBTQ people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Appearing at the Israeli American Council\u2019s (IAC) national summit in Florida on Saturday, Torres weighed in on attacks on the Jewish state, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/live\/?ref=watch_permalink&amp;v=621056202353173\"><span>calling<\/span><\/a><span> for the BDS movement to be \u201crelegated to the fringes of American politics\u201d as he described the \u201cheavy political price\u201d of supporting Israel as a progressive Democrat in New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p><b>Background<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Highlighting his youth as \u201ca poor kid in the Bronx\u201d raised by a single mother working at minimum wage, Torress attributed his achievements and moral choices to her parenting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen I won my primary in June of 2020, I publicly said that I would not be where I am today were it not for my mom,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Attributing his successful run for public office to hard work, he heaped praise upon the country after having become the youngest member of the New York City Council and the \u201cyoungest elected official in America\u2019s largest city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19105786\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"35\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1234436468.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19105786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1234436468.jpg\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - August 03: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) at the 46th&nbsp;Precincts&nbsp;National&nbsp;Night&nbsp;Out on August 3, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. National Night Out an annual community-building campaign established in 1970 is intended to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. (Photo by David Dee Delgado\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) at the 46th&nbsp;Precincts&nbsp;National&nbsp;Night&nbsp;Out on August 3, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (David Dee Delgado\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cAmerica is the land of opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the land of second chances, and my story is living proof.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Support for Israel<\/b><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After announcing plans to travel to Israel as a New York City Council member, he described being \u201cstruck\u201d by all the vitriol directed against him.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cI was accused of betraying my race, supporting an apartheid state; I was accused of pinkwashing \u2014 which is a term I had never heard before \u2014 and there were a set of pro-BDS activists who held a rally on the steps of City Hall specifically demonizing me,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He noted witnessing an LGBTQ activist with a shirt reading \u201cQueers for Palestine\u201d and asking her opinion on the Hamas terrorist group.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cShe said, \u2018I support Hamas because Hamas represents the liberation of the Palestinian people,\u2019\u201d he said, \u201cand at that moment I found myself in a state of shock.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor a moment I thought I was hallucinating,\u201d he continued, \u201cbut I said to myself, the fact that an LGBTQ activist could defend a terrorist organization that systematically murders LGBTQ people \u2014 that to me is as definitive a sign as any of the stupidity and moral bankruptcy and absurdity that BDS has inflicted on American politics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He also described the challenge of supporting Israel as a progressive Democrat in New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you\u2019re a Republican, it\u2019s easy to be pro-Israel; if you\u2019re a moderate Democrat in a moderate district, it\u2019s still easy to be pro-Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if you are a progressive Democrat in New York City, you have to pay a heavy political price.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That price, according to Torres, includes harassment and even death threats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019ve had to face intimidation and harassment on Twitter. I\u2019ve had to face death threats. I\u2019m likely to face a primary challenge because of my positions,\u201d he said, though he added, \u201cI\u2019m convinced I\u2019m doing the right thing and I\u2019m going to [continue to do so].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Israel-Gaza Conflict and Antisemitism<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>While unapologetically stating Israel had a right to self-defense during this year\u2019s Gaza conflict, Torres <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/clips\/2021\/06\/04\/dem-rep-ritchie-torres-israels-held-to-a-double-standard-and-theres-undercurrent-of-antisemitism-in-disproportionate-scrutiny-of-it\/\"><span>blasted<\/span><\/a><span> the \u201cdouble standard\u201d the Jewish state is held to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor me, the progressive position is the coexistence of a Jewish state and a Palestinian state, not the existence of one to the exclusion of other,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s inexplicable to me Israel is held to a double standard,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He also stated that, as a sovereign state, Israel deserved the same right to protect its citizens that other countries do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cBack in May, I spoke out forcefully,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, Israel is a sovereign state and with state sovereignty comes the right of self-defense, a right that every country, including the United States, takes for granted, and no one questions the United States for exercising the right of self-defense.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor me, it is unreasonable to expect a country like Israel to forfeit the right of self-defense and stand by passively in the face of relentless rocket fire,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Torres said he\u2019d often ask critics in the U.S., \u201cIf you and your neighbors were the target of thousands of rockets, what would you expect your government to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe all expect our government to defend us, to keep us safe,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so for me it was a no-brainer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, who said the greatest tragedy \u201cwas not the striding clamor of the bad people but the appalling silence of the good people,\u201d Torres said, \u201cIn May, there were far too many good people who were appallingly silent when Israel\u2019s existence and legitimacy and self-defense was under siege.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMy mother taught me the most important value in life is integrity,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen you see something wrong, you have an obligation to say something and instead of standing by passively, I spoke out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Referencing the surge in antisemitic sentiment online as well as physical attacks against Jews \u201cin daylight\u201d during May\u2019s Israel-Gaza conflict, Torres warned that divisive rhetoric has \u201creal-world consequences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think we saw in the month of May the amplification of anti-Zionism on platforms like Twitter lead to antisemitic violence,\u201d he said, noting a specific attack on a Jewish-identified individual in Times Square as well as explosive devices thrown at Jewish neighborhoods in New York.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19105770\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"35\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1319139702.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19105770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1319139702-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - MAY 20: Pro Palestinian protesters face off with a group of Israel supporters and police in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021 in New York City. Despite an announcement of a cease fire between Israel and Gaza militants, dozens of supporters of both sides of the conflict fought in the streets of Times Square. Dozens were arrested and detained by police before they were dispersed out of the square. The 11 days of fighting has claimed the lives of at least 232 people in Gaza and 12 in Israel. (Photo by Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-Palestinian protesters face off with a group of Israel supporters and police in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021, in New York City. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cSo the rhetoric that we use has real-world consequences and I think those of us who are public officials have to be mindful of the words we use,\u201d he added. \u201cWe should use words that promote peace rather than incite hatred.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Torres criticized the use of \u201cinflammatory language like \u2018apartheid\u2019 or \u2018ethnic cleansing\u2019 or \u2018genocide,\u2019\u201d terms often used by anti-Israel activists, most notably members of the congressional \u201cSquad,\u201d to portray the Jewish state \u2014 the only democracy in the Middle East \u2014 as a gross violator of human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c[By doing so], you\u2019re not promoting peace. You\u2019re inciting hatred,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re not part of the solution. You\u2019re part of the problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Noting that his district \u2014 the South Bronx \u2014 is \u201coverwhelmingly Latino and African American,\u201d he claimed that one needn\u2019t suffer antisemitism to oppose it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI reject the notion that you have to be Jewish to fight antisemitism any more than you have to be black to fight racism,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m willing to call out antisemitism in my own backyard,\u201d he added.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Double Standards Against Israel<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Claiming New York City has become \u201cground zero for democratic socialism,\u201d he accused the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) of having \u201cblurred [the] line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism\u201d by questioning every City Council candidate\u2019s willingness to \u201cpledge never to travel to Israel if elected to the City Council\u201d and \u201cpledge to support the BDS movement.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor me, that\u2019s just one of many examples of the blurred line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Torres claimed that such hypocrisy toward the Jewish state was clear for all to see.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor me, one need not be Jewish or Israeli to see clearly the antisemitic double standard against Israel,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe notion that Israel\u2019s existence should be the subject of debate is outrageous and offensive,\u201d he added, \u201cand the BDS movement should be relegated to the fringes of American politics, which is precisely where it belongs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He also questioned why a BDS movement existed solely for Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhy is there no BDS movement against China for committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims?\u201d he asked. \u201cOr against Myanmar for ethnically cleansing Rohingya Muslims? Or against Iran for being the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world? Or against Turkey by occupying Northern Cyprus?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have a simple question: If the selective outrage and delegitimization of Israel is not explained by antisemitism, then what exactly explains it?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Last year, Torres <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/12\/19\/pro-israel-progressive-ritchie-torres-joining-congress-not-squad\/\"><span>cited<\/span><\/a><span> his support for Israel as his reason he would not join the the so-called \u201cSquad,\u201d which includes Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11871812\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"37\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Squad-members-with-Ayanna-Pressley-up-front-getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11871812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Squad-members-with-Ayanna-Pressley-up-front-getty.jpg\" alt=\"US Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks as, Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (D-MN)(L), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) (2R), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) hold a press conference, to address remarks made by US President Donald Trump earlier in the day, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on July 15, 2019. - President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on four progressive Democratic congresswomen, saying if they&#039;re not happy in the United States &quot;they can leave.&quot; (Photo by Brendan Smialowski \/ AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cSquad\u201d members Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley at a press conference on July 15, 2019. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images))<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cI came to observe that there are activists who have a visceral hatred for Israel as though it were the root of all evil,\u201d he said. \u201cThe act of singling out Israel as BDS has done is the definition of discrimination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Human rights groups and leftist activists have a history of double standards toward Israel as they obsess over Israel\u2019s alleged treatment of Palestinians while routinely ignoring Palestinian oppression against their own.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite Israel\u2019s depiction as an apartheid state, Arab citizens enjoy the same rights guaranteed to Jewish and other citizens and are represented in all the branches of government, currently holding a prominent position in the government coalition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Palestinians, on the other hand, are deprived of basic freedoms \u2014 freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, LGBTQ rights, and women\u2019s rights \u2014 under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and under Hamas in Gaza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>LGBTQ Palestinians are under constant threat, with many having sought refuge in Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i><em>Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuaklein_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@JoshuaKlein<\/a><\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) blasted the \u201cantisemitic double standard\u201d Israel is held to by the left and accused the radical anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement of \u201cinflicting\u201d \u201cstupidity, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1112558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}