Biden Is In A Jam Over Linda Sarsour – OpEd
Linda Sarsour is one of the most notorious anti-Semites in the nation. A former leader of the Women’s March, she was forced to step down from its board because of her hate speech.
Sarsour not only supports Sharia law, she is a strong advocate of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, the organized campaign to economically crush Israel. She recently endorsed Joe Biden.
Yesterday, she spoke at a Democratic National Convention (DNC) council meeting. However, the Biden camp quickly moved to distance him from her. Biden spokesman Andrew Bates told CNN that the Democratic candidate for president “obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS, as does the Democratic platform.”
This defense of Biden does not resolve this issue.
Why was Sarsour invited to participate in a DNC event in the first place? She is not known for anything other than her Jew-bashing. Also, why did Biden share a platform with her as recently as a few weeks ago? Both of them spoke at a “Million Muslim Votes Summit” (he was in his basement, of course).
If Biden now condemns Sarsour for being pro-BDS, he must also condemn at least three members of “The Squad”: Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC); Rep. Ayanna Pressley has been more careful.
Who did Omar meet with on her first day in Congress in January 2018? Sarsour. In November 2018, Omar’s office issued a statement saying she personally “believes in and supports the BDS movement, and has fought hard to make sure people’s right to support it isn’t criminalized.”
In March 2020, Tlaib, whose anti-Semitism is already legendary, wore a T-shirt of the State of Israel replaced with a Palestinian state. She also proudly displayed a new book written by Sarsour.
During the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, Sarsour interrupted the proceedings for the Supreme Court nominee by screaming at him. Who congratulated her? AOC. The New York firebrand then offered a glowing endorsement of Sarsour, tweeting that the anti-Semite is “fighting for everything our flag represents.” The month before the hearings began, Sarsour said AOC is “pro-Palestinian, and she’s unapologetic.” She added, “Alexandria is what represents us and our values.”
Biden is in a jam. It does not matter whether he is aware of the anti-Semitic convictions of Sarsour, Omar, Tlaib, or AOC. What matters is that his handlers are aware of them—they know exactly what they are doing. And that does not bode well for anyone.
This was not surprising at the time, and may say something about the Biden team’s ambivalence toward the historic “Abraham Accords” advancing Arab-Israeli peace that were mediated by the Trump administration. It may also relate to the Biden White House’s desire to restore U.S. funding of the Palestinian Authority, even though the P.A. continues to subsidize imprisoned terrorist “martyrs” and their families.