IfNotNow Movement
February 28, 2020
CONTACT:
Yonah Lieberman, press@ifnotnowmovement.org

BIGOTS AT AIPAC ARE KEEPING DEMOCRATS AWAY, INCLUDING FAR-RIGHT PASTOR WHO SUGGESTED OBAMA IS MUSLIM

Democrats are increasingly fleeing the upcoming AIPAC conference as the right-wing lobby’s politics become even more extreme, a development that will be on display at their conference this year, when they will host a number of controversial bigots, including far-right pastor Myles Holmes, Nazi-sympathizer Sebastian Kurtz, and Bosnian genocide denier Aleksander Vucic. As the Republican Party and Benyamin Netanyahu have moved further and further toward the right over the past few years, Democrats have become much more comfortable with criticizing the Israeli government.

 “AIPAC’s sole purpose has been to shield the Israeli government from any criticism or consequence -- at any cost,” said IfNotNow spokesperson, Morriah Kaplan. “That’s driven them to such extremes that they’re now honoring a far-right pastor who said President Obama was a Muslim. It is encouraging that the overwhelming majority of Democratic presidential candidates see through AIPAC’s lies and are willing to buck the status quo.”

On Wednesday, the number of Democratic presidential candidates that are choosing to skip the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual conference next week reached four, with Senator Amy Klobuchar and then former-Mayor Pete Buttigieg saying they do not have plans to attend. They join Elizabeth Warren, who gave the commitment when asked by an IfNotNow member at a town hall on February 6 and Bernie Sanders who sent a series of tweets announcing his decision on February 23.

Bernie Sanders gave the clearest reason for why he is skipping AIPAC. In his statement, he wrote, “I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference.”

AIPAC’S Wall of Shame:

Pastor Myles Holmes

• Spreads conspiracies about the US becoming "sharia compliant" (source)
• Spread racist and Islamophobic conspiracies about Obama's need to "prove he isn't a Muslim” (source)
• Is opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage, and Islam, naming all those bigoted views alongside the need to support Israel (source)
• Runs a homophobic, transphobic radio show called "Manhood Matters" (source)

Sebastian Kurtz, Chancellor of Austria

• Formed his coalition government with the neo-Nazi Freedom Party (source), which was started by Anton Reinthaller, a former Nazi functionary and SS officer (source).
• Has closed mosques and used anti-Muslim rhetoric, including, “Political Islam’s parallel societies and radicalizing tendencies have no place in our country.” (source)
• “Austria's Young Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Is Bringing the Far-Right Into the Mainstream” (TIME Magazine)

Aleksander Vučić, President of Serbia

• A genocide denier, most famously denying the 1999 Recak massacre (source)
• Worked as Minister of Information for Slobodan Milosevic, the brutal dictator of Serbia
• Vučić worked to stifle freedom of speech and implicated in the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija, a journalist (source)

Joel C. Rosenberg

• Pushes radical, antisemitic Christian evangelical views in the public. (source)
• “No, there will not be peace in the Middle East before the second coming of Christ.”
• “In fact, more Muslims and more Jews and people from all backgrounds will be coming to faith in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace as we get closer to the second coming.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

• Denies the murder of Matthew Shephard was a hate crime; called characterization of it as such "a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing hate crimes bills." (source)

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY)

• Held a fundraiser headlined by white nationalist Steve Bannon (source)
• Held a campaign rally headlined by white nationalist Sebastian Gorka, who has ties to neo-Nazis (source)
• “I think in many respects, Steve Bannon has been given a very bad rap.” (source)

Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, Senior Advisor to Ambassador David Friedman

• Was in charge of dark money nonprofit that donated over $1 million to the controversial Israeli right-wing organization Im Tirtzu in 2015, while Im Tirtzu in the midst of a campaign to brand artists and human rights organizations as foreign agents. (source)
• Was the officiant at Stephen Miller’s wedding (source), in the midst of a campaign by Jewish groups against Miller for his white supremacist views (source)

Chloé Valdary, Zioness Board Member

• Christian philosemite with a history of antisemitic comments about diaspora Jews (source)
• History of anti-Palestinian racism (source)

Chris Brose, Anduril Industries

• Anduril Industries is one of the vendors for Trump's racist, unpopular border wall (source)

Benjamin Weinthal, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

• History of Islamophobic comments, including, "Many Europeans seek to cleanse their guilt about the Holocaust. Bashing the Jewish state — and tolerating those who seek to obliterate Israel — creates a catharsis effect. The addition of Islamic-animated anti-Semitism by Muslims in Europe has created a pathologically violent climate for Jews." (source)

Janae Stracke, Heritage Action for America

• Heritage Action for America is a right-wing group that opposes a women’s right to choose and the Equality Act; they have advocated for faith-based adoption agencies to be able to discriminate against Jews and Muslims (source)

David Friedman, US Ambassador to Israel

• Holds radical religious views, including believing that Israel is “on the side of God” (source)
• Called Jews who support peace in Israel/Palestine “Kapos”, the term used for Jews who collaborated with the Nazis (source)
• Was in charge of an organization that raised millions of dollars for a radical West Bank settlement (source)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

• Promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory about Jews buying elections to win reelection in 2018 (source). He never apologized for it, but was one of the first in GOP leadership to pounce on Ilhan Omar.

Vice President Mike Pence

• Campaigned with antisemitic Minnesota Republican candidate for Senate, Jason Lewis who has accused Jews of dual loyalty and has claimed that the “Jewish Lobby” controls the GOP. (source)
• Has an extremely long history of homophobic statements and pushing homophobic policies (source)

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IfNotNow Movement is organizing in key states to expose the occupation as a moral crisis within the American Jewish community, end the weaponization of antisemitism in the political debate over Israel, and create political space for leaders who will stand up for the freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians. Find out more at www.ifnotnowmovement.org.

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IfNotNow Movement
February 25, 2020
Contact: Yonah Lieberman

ON EVE OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY, SEVEN  JEWS ARRESTED IN  SHUT DOWN OF BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS TO PROTEST HIS COMMITMENT TO ATTEND AIPAC

IfNotNow: Yonah Lieberman, press@ifnotnowmovement.org
MoveOn: Anna Zuccaro, press@moveon.org
Working Families Party: Rob Duffey, rduffey@workingfamilies.org

Warren Firmly Commits to Not Attend AIPAC, As Progressive Coalition Announces #SkipAIPAC Campaign

Last night, Senator Elizabeth Warren became the first candidate vying for the Democratic nomination to firmly commit to skip AIPAC’s annual conference this coming March. The commitment was made in response to a question by IfNotNow member, Sarah O’Connor, at a town hall in Derry, New Hampshire. The question was the first move in the newly announced #SkipAIPAC campaign, anchored by a number of progressive groups including IfNotNow, MoveOn, and Working Families Party. Last year, MoveOn waged a similar campaign that was successful in getting candidates to skip the organization’s annual conference.

AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is a right-wing lobby group that gives platforms to antisemites like Pastor John Hagee, who said God sent Hitler, Islamophobes like Steve Emerson, who has spent decades spreading anti-Muslim misinformation, and white nationalists like Rep. Steve King. AIPAC also promotes fringe Middle East policies that put it squarely out of touch with the majority of Democratic primary voters, such as promoting Trump’s “peace” plan which greenlights Israel’s annexation policy, spending tens of millions of dollars opposing the successful diplomatic initiative with Iran culminating in the JCPOA, and excusing Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian land.

“Israel’s decades-long occupation has eroded the bipartisan consensus on Israel and AIPAC, in a last-ditch effort to maintain influence, now anchors an unholy alliance with antisemites, Islamophobes and white nationalists,” said IfNotNow co-founder, Emily Mayer, “This unholy alliance shields the Israeli government from any consequences for its actions and pushes for a blank check that has had disastrous effects for both Palestinians and Israelis. No Democrat should give AIPAC political cover with their presence.”

“We urged presidential candidates to skip the AIPAC conference in 2019 and they agreed because of the Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, militarism, and right-wing partisan politics AIPAC has come to represent,” said MoveOn Senior Political Advisor Dan Kalik. “MoveOn’s millions of members expect a Democratic candidate who will lay out a diplomacy-first foreign policy that prioritizes human rights and racial justice over partisan fights—and who, just like last year, will skip conferences opposed to those values.”

"This is a test of moral leadership for the presidential field,” said Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell. “AIPAC has given a platform to toxic bigotry and provided cover for right-wing nationalists like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netenyahu. We call on presidential candidates to skip AIPAC's conference and to embrace a progressive vision where all people, including Palestinians and Israelis, can thrive."

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IfNotNow Movement is organizing in key states to expose the occupation as a moral crisis within the American Jewish community, end the weaponization of antisemitism in the political debate over Israel, and create political space for leaders who will stand up for the freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians. Find out more at www.ifnotnowmovement.org

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https://event.aipac.org/policyconference-about
Unforgettable Experience
The AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of America's pro-Israel community. The conference is a celebration of the U.S.-Israel partnership and the premier opportunity for every attendee to lobby their Congressional office to advance the U.S.-Israel relationship. The Policy Conference is also a rich educational experience and inspirational booster shot. Attendees will hear keynote speeches by American and Israeli leaders, attend intimate educational sessions, and be wowed by moving stories of U.S.-Israel partnerships, Israeli heroism, and groundbreaking Israeli innovations that are changing our world. From the 6,000+ who are attending their first conference to the 50-year conference veteran, each Policy Conference is a unique, powerful, empowering, and inspirational experience you won’t want to miss.
 
Who Attends the Conference?

• More than 18,000 pro-Israel Americans
• More than two-thirds of Congress
• More than 3,600 students from more than 630 campuses
• 83 Student Government presidents from all 50 states
• More than 275 synagogue delegations
• AIPAC members from across the country

 
It Has Been Said...
“AIPAC is a vigilant protector of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and its annual policy conference in Washington is a must-stop for foreign policy-minded politicians and presidential candidates.”
– The Hill

“The AIPAC Policy Conference...is the Jewish equivalent to the Oscars or the Grammys—the big, buzzy annual event everyone talks about before it happens and gossips about afterward.”
– Tablet Magazine, Stephanie Butnick

“What impressed me was the AIPAC-ers' earnestness, intensity and warmth.”
– The Daily Beast, Gil Troy

“Bipartisanship is a perennial priority for AIPAC, and its policy conference regularly draws the attendance of supportive lawmakers from both major American parties.”
– The Huffington Post, Joshua Hersh
 
When?

• March 1-3, 2020
• Washington, D.C.