{"id":542279,"date":"2021-05-26T22:05:44","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T02:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=542279"},"modified":"2021-05-26T22:05:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T02:05:46","slug":"the-hamas-caucus-republicans-launch-explosive-term-for-ocasio-cortez-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-hamas-caucus-republicans-launch-explosive-term-for-ocasio-cortez-squad\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Hamas Caucus\u2019: Republicans Launch Explosive Term For Ocasio-Cortez \u2018Squad\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fthe-hamas-caucus-republicans-launch-explosive-term-for-ocasio-cortez-squad%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=542279&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--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1167449538-scaled-e1620924078165.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>As Israel spent 11 days defending itself from a barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza, a handful of congressional Republicans who all share a hallway with member of the progressive \u201csquad\u201d Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decided to make statements against her anti-Israel rhetoric in no unclear terms.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Reps. Mike Waltz of Florida, Lisa McClain of Michigan, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Chris Jacobs of New York all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/house-republicans-ocasio-cortez-israel-posters-hamas-caucus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hung<\/a> up\u201dStand With Israel\u201d posters next to their office doors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"7.2371134020619\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The U.S. has stood with Israel for decades and we won\u2019t let fringe Progressives try to divide our alliance. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ced7fYh7hU\">pic.twitter.com\/ced7fYh7hU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Congressman Waltz Press (@RepWaltzPress) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepWaltzPress\/status\/1393331277726617606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Waltz then told Fox News that he is giving the squad a new name: The \u201cHamas Caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"10.47491638796\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As a Green Beret, I fought alongside our allies against terrorism. Never did I ever think I would serve in Congress with the Hamas Caucus who\u2019s defending terrorist attacks on our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/89DkGTwB5h\">pic.twitter.com\/89DkGTwB5h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/michaelgwaltz\/status\/1396856377201643520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 24, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cHamas Caucus\u201d has become a popular term used by Israel-supporting Republicans to describe anti-Israel progressive Democrats, who have chipped away at a consensus on Israel that\u2019s been around since President Harry S. Truman recognized Israeli independence in 1948. Truman\u2019s support came 11 minutes after Israel\u2019s first prime minister\u2019s \u201cProclamation of Independence\u201d in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n<p>Those who use the term \u201cHamas Caucus\u201d essentially accuse those Democrats of repeating the talking points and flirting with ideological support for the terrorist organization Hamas. The \u201cHamas Caucus\u201d not only questions American monetary support for Israel, but questions whether the Jewish State has a right to defend itself in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s as though they\u2019ve taken the words right out of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniyeh\u2019s mouth,\u201d former Democratic New York State assemblyman, Dov Hikind, told Daily Caller. \u201cIn fact, he can\u2019t say it better himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny member of Congress who responded to the indiscriminate firing of Hamas rockets \u2026 by lambasting Israel for defending itself with highly precise retaliatory strikes \u2026 while remaining mum on Hamas\u2019 war crimes was automatically enjoined to the Hamas Caucus,\u201d he added. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/12\/hamas-leader-calls-beheading-jews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Hamas Official Reportedly Tells People To Buy Knives And Cut Jews\u2019 Heads Off)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From its founding, Hamas\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/fas.org\/irp\/world\/para\/docs\/880818a.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">charter<\/a> called for the genocide against Jews and the destruction of the State of Israel. Not much changed in the latter aspect when it was revised in 2017; the charter says it seeks a \u201ccomplete liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Gaza, Hamas has waged war against the Jewish State since taking control of the strip in 2006. The democratic takeover followed execution of its Fatah rivals \u2014 now the governing party in the West Bank \u2014 and has forced Israel into armed conflicts every few years to take out Hamas\u2019 terror infrastructure and arsenals.<\/p>\n<p>One of the primary members of Congress associated within the \u201cHamas Caucus\u201d is Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has come under fire several times for her stances on Israel, with some of her rhetoric steeped into <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/02\/11\/omar-israel-aipac-lobbyist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accusations<\/a> of anti-Semitism. Most notoriously she accused the premier bipartisan pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC, of being \u201call about the Benjamins, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Hamas rockets rained down on civilians in Israel proper, Omar said that Israel\u2019s targeted strikes against Hamas were acts of \u201cterrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"16.168604651163\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>Palestinians deserve protection.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don\u2019t exist to protect Palestinian civilians.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vWWQfMqBkT\">https:\/\/t.co\/vWWQfMqBkT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IlhanMN\/status\/1391841207588999168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 10, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Noticeably absent were equivocal and proportionate condemnations of the U.S. designated terrorist organization nor their well-documented practice of using human shields to protect its rocket launchers and military supplies from IDF strikes.<\/p>\n<p>Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, whose parents are Palestinian immigrants, is another member of the so-called \u201cHamas Caucus.\u201d Tlaib voiced her opposition to Israel\u2019s response to rocket attacks without offering proportionate biting words for Hamas.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"5.4311926605505\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Apartheid states aren\u2019t democracies. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oF30zaqM4v\">https:\/\/t.co\/oF30zaqM4v<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RashidaTlaib\/status\/1393693207792439299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Tlaib also recently <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/12\/israel-rashida-tlaib-joins-protesters-support-palestine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spoke<\/a> to the crowd at a pro-Palestinian protest at the State Department in Washington D.C. The crowd at different points during the protest chanted \u201cfrom the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free\u201d and \u201c5,6,7,8, Israel is a terrorist state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who has herself <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/20\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-israel-palestine-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">admitted<\/a> in the past that she isn\u2019t an expert on Middle Eastern conflicts, took issue with President Biden\u2019s statement in which he declared that Israel has a right to defend itself.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"10.826815642458\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Blanket statements like these w\/ little context or acknowledgement of what precipitated this cycle of violence \u2013 namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa \u2013 dehumanize Palestinians &amp; imply the US will look the other way at human rights violations. It\u2019s wrong. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/afCgoGdiMG\">https:\/\/t.co\/afCgoGdiMG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1392603318640390151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ocasio-Cortez went on to describe Hamas\u2019 actions as \u201ccondemnable,\u201d while accusing Israel of being the primary instigators of the conflict. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/25\/hawley-resolution-progressive-squad-for-antisemitic-anti-israel-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Hawley Resolution Goes After Progressive \u2018Squad\u2019 For \u2018Anti-Israel Rhetoric\u2019)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders initially did not mention Hamas while voicing his disdain towards the killing of Israelis and Palestinians on both sides of the conflict.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"9.6330275229358\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The devastation in Gaza is unconscionable. We must urge an immediate ceasefire. The killing of Palestinians and Israelis must end. We must also take a hard look at nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel. It is illegal for U.S. aid to support human rights violations.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BernieSanders\/status\/1393972598237696007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sanders would later make an appearance on CBS\u2019 \u201cFace The Nation\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/bernie-sanders-israel-biden-palestine-gaza-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in which<\/a> he referred to Hamas as a \u201cterrorist group\u201d but blamed, at least in part, the \u201cright-wing Israeli government\u201d for the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you have a very difficult situation. You have Hamas, a terrorist group. You have a right-wing Israeli government and the situation is getting worse. And all that I\u2019m saying is that the United States of America has got to be leading the world in bringing people together, not simply supplying weapons to kill children in Gaza,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n<p>A handful of Jewish Democrats also recently <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/26\/jewish-democrats-criticize-conservatives-progressivess-reckless-antisemitism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote<\/a> a letter to President Biden calling out members of the \u201cHamas Caucus\u201d for referring to Israel as an \u201capartheid state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many of these same Republicans have also said that the progressive left\u2019s callous attitude towards terrorism against Jews has fueled the hatred that has coincided with an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increase<\/a> in anti-Semitic attacks in America.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"5.9411764705882\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This violence is on you and your friends in the Hamas caucus. Own it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/afPP72laGi\">https:\/\/t.co\/afPP72laGi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RubinReport\/status\/1395864545344720896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 21, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While the \u201cHamas Caucus\u201d has spoken out against the recent displays of hatred, even Sen. Sanders recently <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FaceTheNation\/status\/1396556620583383041?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> that characterizations of Israel as an \u201capartheid state\u201d can fuel anti-Semitic incidents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I think we should&nbsp;<span class=\"il\">tone<\/span>&nbsp;<span class=\"il\">down<\/span>&nbsp;the rhetoric,\u201d&nbsp;<span class=\"il\">Sanders<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/23\/bernie-sanders-hamas-israel-arms-sale-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>, upon being pressed.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of publishing, spokespeople for each congressional office mentioned in the story have yet to respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Israel spent 11 days defending itself from a barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza, a handful of congressional Republicans who all share a hallway with member of the progressive &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313209,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1167449538-scaled-e1620924078165.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"\u2018The Hamas Caucus\u2019: Republicans Launch Explosive Term For Ocasio-Cortez \u2018Squad\u2019","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-542279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1167449538-scaled-e1620924078165.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"\u2018The Hamas Caucus\u2019: Republicans Launch Explosive Term For Ocasio-Cortez \u2018Squad\u2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542279","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}