Progressives are pulling their support for state Sen. Emily Randall, who is running for Congress in the 6th District, after she signaled a strong commitment to Israel in her first public stance on the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Some allege Randall took such a position to prevent the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) from spending big bucks on her opponent, outgoing Washington State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. As Franz leads the fundraising race by about $300,000, the powerful and well-resourced PAC’s donation could bury Randall if she were to come off as too sympathetic to Palestine. This dynamic put Randall, who is running to the left of Franz, in a tricky political position, but her critics say she fell right into the trap that monied interests set.
“This sets a precedent that [Randall] would lead from a place of cowardice,” said Yousef, a queer Palestinian politico in Washington. “Instead of following what her values are, and what the values and needs of her constituents are, she chooses her career and her reputation.”
Randall’s campaign declined to comment.
Behind the Scenes
During her campaign, Randall has kept quiet on Israel as the country’s military racks up accusations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide after killing at least 37,000 Palestinians, injuring 86,000, and displacing 1.7 million. Randall did not respond to The Stranger’s question about her silence on the issue.
But Randall did open up to Jewish Insider after the publication confronted her with screenshots of her campaign manager “liking” pro-Palestine content on Instagram. Upon “confirming social media activity consistent with what [Jewish Insider] described,” Randall fired the staffer.
Distancing herself from her staffer’s sympathy toward Palestinians, Randall went on to express her firm support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“Israel has exercised its lawful right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, and has the unalienable right to do so against any future attacks from internal or external malign actors, such as Hamas or Iran,” she told Jewish Insider. “In Congress, I will support Israel’s obligation of self-defense and our country’s support for that right.”
In her response to the outlet, she accused Hamas of using “human shields,” a claim pro-Israel advocates often employ to deflect responsibility when Israel kills civilians. She also blamed the continuous bloodshed on Hamas for not accepting ceasefire deals, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will reject President Joe Biden’s three-phase plan, which requires Israel to withdraw from Gaza after Hamas releases the remaining hostages.
The news of Randall firing her campaign staffer spread around progressive, Muslim, and other political groups. Some expressed outrage that Randall would perpetuate what some have called a “new McCarthyism” related to pro-Palestine views and protest.
The Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) told The Stranger this firing was “not an isolated phenomenon” but rather “part of a disturbing trend” that “contributes to a climate of elevated fear and bias, as well as promoting suppression of speech.”
“It is past time to stop portraying pro-Palestine supporters as antisemitic simply for criticizing the Israeli government’s genocide and war crimes against Palestinians,” said CAIR-WA spokesperson Katie Walker.
Sources allege that Franz’s campaign gave Jewish Insider the screenshots to attract AIPAC’s support to her campaign, which would widen Franz’s fundraising lead. Franz’s campaign did not respond to my request for comment.
It is unclear if AIPAC will spend money in this race, but the PAC is expected to spend $100 million this cycle to sink progressive campaigns that will not sufficiently bend to Israel in Congress. Most recently, AIPAC killed “squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s re-election by spending an unprecedented amount on his Israel-friendly opponent. An AIPAC-affiliated PAC also dropped $1.3 million against Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal’s bid for Congress in Oregon. AIPAC did not respond to my request for comment.
Out of Left Field… Well, Maybe Right-of-Center Field
Randall’s strong pro-Israel stance came as a shock to her colleague, state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, the only Muslim in the Washington State Senate. In a phone interview with The Stranger, Trudeau said Randall’s comments to Jewish Insider do not reflect conversations they have had in the past. Randall declined to comment on Trudeau’s accusation.
As a supporter of Palestine, Trudeau rescinded her endorsement after reading the Jewish Insider article, which appeared to criticize Randall for once featuring Trudeau on her campaign website despite the “inflammatory rhetoric about Israel” she shared online.
“As Democrats, our voters have spoken up clearly on this,” Trudeau said in a statement. “…I am so deeply disappointed at the comments in this letter and frankly the position that both Democrats in this race are taking. People want their voices heard, and whether you are running for Congress or seeking to stay in Congress, our constituents expect that we will center their voices and their struggles to ultimately do what is right and just. I will never apologize for taking any position that centers humanity and represents the will of the people. I hope that my Congressional colleagues will step up and start listening. Lives are literally on the line.”
Tacoma City Council Member Jamika Scott also rescinded her endorsement of Randall. Scott said that the article felt “biased in its editorializing,” but, still, Randall’s statements concerned her and did not align with Scott’s values—”not as a Black woman who comes from a displaced diaspora, not as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who understands we are not safe in every space or country, and not as a policy-maker who believes in finding durable peace through means other than wanton violence.”
Mubarak Elamin, an organizer with the American Muslim Advancement Council (AMAC), said Randall’s campaign and her progressive values previously piqued the organization’s interest, but now they have “lost interest.”
The 27th LD Democrats will discuss potentially revoking their endorsement at their next meeting, Chair Whitney Stevens said in an email.
“The 27th LD strongly condemns how this article portrayed our State Senator Yasmin Trudeau,” Stevens said “Senator Trudeau has been a champion of human rights. We are honored to have her represent us.”
Other endorsers are reportedly debating whether or not to pull their support from Randall. After all, even mainstream Democrats are becoming more sympathetic to the Palestinians. Over the weekend, the Washington State Democratic Party passed three resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the restoration of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and the reduction of harm to civilians in Palestine in general.
Randall declined to comment about losing support.
Pink-washing Genocide
Randall may also specifically lose queer support. Individual members of the Washington Stonewall Democrats seem interested in revisiting their endorsement, but in a message to The Stranger, Chair Andrew Ashiofu said the organization is still “looking for more information at this time.”
In the article, Randall said, “Israel is the only country in the region where I could live openly with my wife, Alison.” Yousef said that comment amounts to “pink-washing genocide.”
Pink-washing, sometimes known as “rainbow-washing,” refers to a strategy in which a brand expresses superficial support of queer people for some kind of gain. In this case, queer critics of Israel believe that the country’s supporters have “mythologized Israeli culture to appeal to (mostly white) queers and liberals” to “distract from, and even defend, the ongoing oppression of Palestinians,” Seattle resident Jimmy Pasch wrote in an essay for Jewish Voice for Peace.
Arguing that queer people are only safe in Israel perpetuates “racist, anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic tropes, that insist Palestinian culture is somehow backwards and intolerant,” Yousef said. The sentiment helps to justify Israel in conquering Palestine as though “if given their denied right to self determination, Palestinians would somehow be unable to create a just society,” Yousef said.
Of course, homophobia exists in Palestine. As Dave MacBale, a queer Palestinian Washingtonian, said, “There’s homophobia in Palestine because Palestine is on planet earth. If you ask any woman or queer person or trans person if they feel like they have full rights or full liberation anywhere in the world, they will all tell you no.” That includes the United States, MacBale added.
American queer people face a tidal wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation and a spike in hate crimes. Same goes for Israel, where gay marriage is illegal, where “proud” homophobes hold positions of power, and where anti-queer violence is also on the rise. Despite this, queer people find ways to live open, joyful, fulfilled lives under oppression all across the world—in the United States, in Israel, and in Palestine, queer Palestinians insisted.
Right now, facing homophobia in Palestine would be low on MacBale’s list of worries.
“If I went to Gaza and I wasn’t murdered by a bomb or incinerated to death, I’d probably be starving, my home would be destroyed, everything I own would be destroyed. I’d be dehydrated. I’d be off my medication for months. Maybe I’ve been kidnapped or tortured, maybe more than once. I might be missing a limb. I’d have no time to mourn my dead friends and family. And all of this would be done by Israel, with the full backing of the United States, and people like [Randall] cheer for it because she doesn’t care what happens to Palestinians as long as Tel Aviv has a Pride parade,” MacBale said. “Gaza doesn’t have a street left for a Pride parade.”
Randall declined to comment on the queer Palestinians’ criticism.
AIPAC Wins No Matter Who You Pick
But as progressives pull their support from Randall, they do not have a new champion in her competitor, Franz. Franz came out even stronger for Israel, saying she does not want to put any more conditions on arms for Israel and she stands against President Joe Biden for saying he would withhold some weapons if Israel invades Gaza’s southern city of Rafah to a somewhat vague degree.
This leaves voters with Gaza at the top of their minds in a bind. Randall declined to make her case for why she is still the “progressive choice” in this race.
“There is a painful reality right now for voters,” Trudeau said in an email to The Stranger. “For those running for office, the pressure to conform and cave to the threat of special interests who spend millions on your opposition is undeniable, and, simply put, most of our Congressional delegation is not representing the values of the people on this issue.”
Trudeau said she doesn’t feel that either candidate represents her or her community when it comes to relations with Israel or the ongoing assault on Gaza. Some voters like Yousef say they’re sick of choosing between the “lesser of two evil” candidates, especially when both will give Israel weapons to kill his people with.
In other congressional districts, voters can pick strong supporters of Palestinian liberation. Melissa Chaudhry in WA-09 and Imraan Siddiqi in WA-08 are challenging powerful incumbents specifically as champions of a permanent ceasefire. Both reject AIPAC and the weapons lobby because “when special interest money gains undue influence in our elections candidates feel like they have to look over their shoulder to not upset deep-pocket donors,” Chaudhry told The Stranger in a message.
But, ultimately, Chaudhry said, “Standing up for human rights for all people shouldn’t be a political football—it’s a matter of principle.”
I guess this is making Emily Randall and Hillary Franz harder to differentiate but does that actually mean anything if either one will do the same thing when they get to the house.
Who would have guessed that the Progressive penchant for sabotaging the prospects of the political coalition to which they belong would end up sabotaging their own prospects?
@1 Well, if she folded this easily on fundamental human rights, who knows what she’ll fold on in the future.
@2 Here we go again: Under the Geneva Convention and its addendums punitive measures against civilian populations (denying food and water, withholding humanitarian aid, etc ..), destroying all infrastructure (including hospitals) are war crimes. So are indiscriminate and disproportionate actions that result in civilian casualties no matter the circumstances (such as dropping 2000lb bomb over neighborhoods and refugee camps to eliminate a couple of paramilitaries)
Pretty comprehensive rebuttal of the “human shields” argument:
https://jacobin.com/2023/11/human-shields-bombing-gaza-palestine-israel-defense-forces-morally-bankrupt
I would wager the majority of people’s opinions about warfare exist completely independent of what’s permitted by international law, and citing the Geneva conventions isn’t going to change anyone’s minds because their opinions are based on their gut reactions to witnessing carnage and mass death. If you’re repulsed by hospitals and refugee camps being incinerated you’re not going to be moved by someone citing whatever code they think permits these atrocities.
looks like
she’s Cinched
the Wormtongue
contingent. too bad he
left* for more Fertile grounds
she just might’ve gotten Lucky
btw where is he?
weeping over Biden’s
handing the Election to
Eltrumpfster? tears of Joy
I reckon,
*in where was it
Bumbfuck, NY?
“Instead of following what her values are, and what the values and needs of her constituents are…”
Have you taken a look at a map of the 6th Congressional District?
The complaints are from progressives in Tacoma and beyond, but the district extends across the entire Olympic Peninsula – including relatively conservative Gig Harbor and military bases in Bremerton and Bangor whose locals take pride in being home to the largest concentration of nuclear warheads on the planet.
Pretty sure Randall has a good vibe for the “values and needs of her constituents” – especially since that Gig Harbor / Bremerton area has elected her to the Legislature four times!
@8 Dude, local opinion on matters when it’s “right” opinion. When it’s wrong opinion it’s pandering.
You need to keep up with the Stranger style guide.
The Stranger has a track record of offering astonishingly stupid takes about WA-6. They previously wrote an article advocating that people vote for Derek Kilmer’s primary opponent back in 2020. She wound up getting 13% of the vote in the primary. Kilmer then proceeded to stomp his GOP opponent in the general 59-31. Kilmer was an absolutely dominant candidate in every race he ever ran and a reliable Democratic vote, so naturally The Stranger wanted him to lose his seat.
You can read it here:
https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/07/07/44045681/rep-derek-kilmer-misleadingly-claims-to-fight-for-universal-health-care-in-latest-ad
Obviously Medicare for All was the shiny object in front of The Stranger back then. Now it’s Gaza. In 2 years it’ll be something else.
What The Stranger knows about any aspect of Washington politics occurring more than 5 miles away from the corner of Pike and Broadway could be printed in 100 foot high letters on the head of a pin. If Emily Randall wants to win, the best possible thing she could do is disregard any and all advice given to her by The Stranger.
‘But Randall did open up to Jewish Insider after the publication confronted her with screenshots of her campaign manager “liking” pro-Palestine content on Instagram. Upon “confirming social media activity consistent with what [Jewish Insider] described,” Randall fired the staffer.’
From the linked article, here’s what Jewish Insider described:
‘Randall’s now-former campaign manager, Anna Carlson-Ziegler, has a history of liking extreme anti-Israel posts on Instagram, according to screenshots viewed by JI.
‘Those included posts describing “Palestinian resistance as a natural and praiseworthy response to Zionist occupation and brutality,” posts describing Hamas as “the Palestinian resistance” and praising its continued survival, repeated calls for “the fall of the Zionist regime,” a post mourning the death of convicted terrorist and murderer Walid Daqqa and an Oct. 7 post denying that the attack by “Palestinian militants” was unprovoked.
Other posts Carlson-Ziegler liked included ones dismissing or denying the atrocities on Oct. 7 as propaganda, describing President Joe Biden as a war criminal and supporting various acts of vandalism and blockages of university, private and public property by anti-Israel demonstrators.’
Especially in that last sentence, we see why the Stranger hated Randall’s firing of her campaign manager. All of those likes went to support beliefs which writers at the Stranger, and/or the Stranger’s most ardently supportive commenters, themselves fully believe and support.
(The Stranger also insulted the Palestinian cause — and some undeterminably large number of Palestinians, too — when it described the liked items as “pro-Palestine”. “Anti-reality” would have been a better description, but “pro-terrorism” would have worked pretty well, too.)
‘As a supporter of Palestine, Trudeau rescinded her endorsement after reading the Jewish Insider article, which appeared to criticize Randall for once featuring Trudeau on her campaign website despite the “inflammatory rhetoric about Israel” she shared online.’
There’s no need for the Stranger to use such clunky paraphrasing about Trudeau. Again, from the linked article at Jewish Insider:
‘She has argued that “there are not two sides” to the war in Gaza and shared an Instagram reel comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.
‘Trudeau also liked posts on Instagram describing Israel as “IsraHell,” valorizing the man who self-immolated outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington and denying antisemitism in protests at Columbia University. Trudeau did not respond to a request for comment.’
“Congressional Candidate Emily Randall Loses the Left After Taking a Pro-Israel Stance”
So according to The Stranger, “the Left” is now defined as a single group – those who support Palestine over Israel – and discounts those of us who prioritize other issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive healthcare, economic security, education, the environment, etc.
And to whom/where was The Strangers’ monolithic “the Left” supposedly “lost?”
As far as I can tell, every other candidate in this race has the same position on Israel/Palestine as Randall does.
Seems to me like The Stranger and the other crybabies mentioned in the article are trying to inflate whatever relevance they have in this race.
Trudeau is going to withdraw her endorsement of Randall…. and do what with it, exactly? Endorse Hillary Franz, who supported Israel even more ardently than Randall, and earlier? Support Drew MacEwan, an anti-Choice Republican who is also certainly pro-Israel? Take some imaginary moral high-ground and proudly support no one?
Next we’ll be reading that “the Left” is going to abandon Bob Ferguson for governor, and support some no-name nobody instead. Yea, you’ll really show us!!! Go ahead, take your ball and go home….
Read and weep:
A UN Special Committee* appointed by the General Assembly to investigate Israeli practices in Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, said it was horrified by violations against Palestinians in Israeli custody and levels of impunity for Israeli soldiers engaged in dehumanising, cruel and humiliating behaviour towards Palestinians, including women and children. [..]
“The steep rise in cases of abuse filed against Israeli security officers, indicates that a systematic scheme of inhumane treatment is being executed as State policy to deprive Palestinians of their liberty,” it said.
Condemning the horrific war crimes that took place on 7 October 2023, the Committee also held equal condemnation for the Israeli State reaction. “The violent assault on Gaza has been indiscriminate, disproportionate, and callous in nature, cutting off life essential resources, in order to subjugate, dehumanise and collectively punish the Palestinian civilian population,” the Committee said, expressing extreme concern about the impact the war in Gaza is having on future generations on both sides.
“Multiple stakeholders reported a stark increase in sexual harassment, sexual abuse, the threat of rape, and rape itself, including with foreign objects, against men, women, and even children, and intimidation through the use of dogs by Israeli security forces,” the Special Committee said.
The Committee expressed concern about the impact of Israeli forces destroying the health care system systematically and comprehensively in Gaza, forcing women to give birth in dire conditions. It was alarmed to hear that the rate of miscarriages in Gaza has drastically increased. “This comes partly as a direct result of Israel’s sustained bombing of healthcare facilities, and killings of medical personnel,” it said.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-special-committee-israeli-practices-occupied-territories-concludes-field
@13 It’s not “prioritizing” one issue over the other: human rights are fundamental. The left has and will always support the oppressed against its oppressor. Supporting Israel is the anti-thesis of supported the oppressed.
@14: Yes, a UN organization being forced to admit Hamas committed atrocities on 10/7 is a really big deal, I agree
@15: Much of this very headline post back-handedly admits “the left” has had nothing of any value to say when “the oppressed” are women and/or sexual minorities, and “the oppressors” are male fundamentalist religious believers.
@16 Obviously, I didn’t post that article for you to cherry pick as you have repeatedly shown, and keep showing, that you have either no ethics or your livelihood depends on posting pro-Israel propaganda.
@14, @17: “Unfortunately rape is quite common during warfare, and not only, and I’ll leave you to ponder whether some of those gangs of patriots also committed rape but I wouldn’t surprised if they did.”
(https://www.thestranger.com/slog-am/2024/06/19/79565902/slog-am-mass-layoffs-at-everett-herald-pride-flag-flies-over-newcastle-louisiana-mandates-display-of-ten-commandments-in-public-schools/comments/58)
Hey, if it was good enough for the Founding Fathers, it should still work today, right?
Watching you people blithely dismiss weaponized rape, while totally disgusting, nicely emphasizes exactly what kind of morality you actually advocate.
@18 Your refusal to address meaningfully the finding of the UN commission posted @14 says all there is to say about what you are trying to do. Attempts at smearing critics of Israel, including the UN, is an integral part of these tactics copied from the Israeli playbook.
@19: Read harder. I responded by quoting your hand-waving away of wartime atrocities as no big deal. Somehow, such blithe dismissal becomes bad after I do it. Whatever.
@17: “…your livelihood depends on posting pro-Israel propaganda.”
You just have no idea how the adult world really works, do you?
@20 Your refusal to address meaningfully the finding of the UN commission posted @14 says all there is to say about what you are trying to do. Attempts at smearing critics of Israel, including the UN, is an integral part of these tactics copied from the Israeli playbook.
@6: “If you’re repulsed by hospitals and refugee camps being incinerated you’re not going to be moved by someone citing whatever code they think permits these atrocities.”
It’s not that the Geneva Conventions “permit” these atrocities, it’s that they allow us to assign blame for the atrocities to the correct party. In this case, that party is Hamas, for hiding behind civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, whilst shooting at civilians in Israel.
Now, I agree we shouldn’t need a law code to see this. My question is, why aren’t there demonstrations the world over against a misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, jihadist organization which kills one group of civilians whilst hiding behind another?
@22 The report from the UN committee posted @14 explicitly describes how Israel is committing numerous war crimes. Repeating the same lies ad-infinitum even though you have been provided with contrary evidence shows that you have no integrity. You only want to spew propaganda without regard for the truth.
@14, @17, @19, @23: I have already quoted (@18) your own hand-waving dismissal of weaponized rape in that region’s warfare. As you did not yourself see any obligation to “address meaningfully” those atrocities, you have no standing to demand such attention from anyone else. (Given the theme of this headline post is, “we made loud complaints and are now angry at having gotten ignored,” I’d say you’re doing well on that score, at least.)
The topic of this thread is not directly warfare in that region (although at least one of the persons mentioned in it has praised attacks upon civilians there, without your challenging her for having done so), but complaints made by a very few persons who exist on the physical and political periphery of WA-6. They have discovered that they will not have a Congressional Representative who takes their side on that regional conflict, and they have decided to attack one of the candidates about this. The Stranger, which itself knows all about both attacking local politicians, and getting ignored by local politicians (https://www.thestranger.com/news/2024/06/27/79576793/council-appointee-tanya-woo-cancels-endorsement-meeting-with-the-stranger-at-the-last-minute), deeply sympathizes with their plight, and has published a long post about it. You’re invited to join the rest of us commenters, in describing exactly how irrelevant the Stranger’s concerns really are. (We’ve been having rather a good time at it, as you might read, above.)
@24 Your refusal to address meaningfully the finding of the UN commission posted @14 says all there is to say about what you are trying to do. Attempts at smearing critics of Israel, including the UN, is an integral part of these tactics copied from the Israeli playbook.
The threatened AIPAC intervention appears to consist of a single, completely unsubstantiated, rumor:
‘Some allege Randall took such a position to prevent the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) from spending big bucks on her opponent, outgoing Washington State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. As Franz leads the fundraising race by about $300,000 … ‘
‘It is unclear if AIPAC will spend money in this race, but the PAC is expected to spend $100 million this cycle to sink progressive campaigns that will not sufficiently bend to Israel in Congress. Most recently, AIPAC killed “squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s re-election by spending an unprecedented amount on his Israel-friendly opponent. An AIPAC-affiliated PAC also dropped $1.3 million against Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal’s bid for Congress in Oregon. AIPAC did not respond to my request for comment.’
Without AIPAC, that leaves Randall’s dislike of Hamas’ extremism as a reason she has acted in the manner she has. If that is indeed the case, then it appears the Stranger (and her other critics quoted by the Stranger) would much rather use a vague rumor to claim she’s a “coward” who fell into a trap set by “monied interests,” than attribute her actions simply to someone revulsed by terrorists who hide behind children.
@7: “in where was it
Bumbfuck, NY?”
Yep. A nondescript town in New York State, a town where no member of the local school board has ever received an endorsement from the Stranger, and also where my child receives an excellent education in a fully-staffed, fully-supported, fully-resourced school district. What a complete coincidence, eh?
@14, @17, @19, @23, @25: Are you having some kind of ‘episode’? Are you a bot?
(At this point, does any meaningful difference even remain?)
Have a good day.
@26 Your argumentation regarding Israel’s war on Palestinians is virtually indifferentiable from that of AIPAC so why should anyone believe your crocodile tears about AIPAC’s attempts at taking down progressive?
@27: First, the cliche “crododile tears,” doesn’t mean what you believe it means.
Second, the ONLY connection AIPAC has to the rest of the post is via either unsubstantiated rumor or outright imagination, as I already showed @26, simply by quoting all of the ‘evidence’ the headline post contains about AIPAC. As Randall already trails Franz in fundraising by hundreds of thousands of dollars, anyone parachuting into the race to donate more money to Franz would seem entirely unnecessary. So far, AIPAC exists in this post only to fulfill the role of an out-of-district bogeyman.
As I speculated, AIPAC may have been invoked to support calling Randall a coward, instead of as someone who was genuinely shocked to find both her campaign manager, and a fellow legislator, liking outrageously pro-terrorist and anti-Israel statements.
@28 As you said you are speculating but you being you thinks your speculations are better than anyone else’s closely involved with situation even though you are 1000’s of miles away and don’t know anybody involved. Thank you for showing again that nothing will get in the way of your spinning a web painting Israel’s supporter in a good light and Israel’s critics as demons never mind that you are still refusing to comment on the UN report @14
“The 27th LD strongly condemns how this article portrayed our State Senator Yasmin Trudeau,” Stevens said “Senator Trudeau has been a champion of human rights. We are honored to have her represent us.”
@29: “… you thinks [sic] your speculations are better than anyone else’s closely involved…”
No other commenter has even mentioned AIPAC, let alone offered any speculation on why AIPAC was included in the headline post, so there’s literally no way I could possibly think my “speculations” are better than speculations which simply do not exist.
If we ignore the Stranger’s mentions of AIPAC, then it seems clear Randall fired her campaign manager (!) in the middle of a campaign (!!) because of statements her campaign manager liked, as I quoted @11. But the Stranger tolerates eliminationist statements against Israel, so Randall firing her campaign manager for liking those sentiments wouldn’t fit the Stranger’s narrative. Hence my speculation about why Randall acted as she did. You’re free to speculate yourself, but it appears you’ve literally swallowed the party line:
“The 27th LD strongly condemns how this article portrayed our State Senator Yasmin Trudeau,” Stevens said “Senator Trudeau has been a champion of human rights. We are honored to have her represent us.”
As recounted @12, Sen. Trudeau refused to comment on her liking of some pretty extreme, and extremely questionable, statements. (Columbia University denied protestors use of campus after those protestors spent a day marching on campus, chanting eliminationist slogans against Israel.)
“…never mind that you are still refusing to comment on the UN report @14”
Just read your own, hand-waving dismissal of weaponized rape in that war zone. Not commenting would have been far better, I assure you.
Blablablabla Israel good, Palestinians bad blablabla The Stranger Terrorists lovers, UN rape apologists, Israel critics antisemites, Humanitarian organizations antisemites too, world opinion fuck’em, ad-infinitum. You’ll keep repeating it no matter the evidence against it. Do you figure anybody still cares reading another 200 words of lying spin? What ego you have.
Getting a life would be far better, I assure you.
@31: Keep on ignoring the example you yourself set. Running away from your own words may indeed be your best hope generally, but it gives you no basis for demanding anyone else comment on that particular topic.
@32 The only one running away right now is you. Nobody should be fooled by the umpteenth diversion you attempt, by pulling comments out of context, while refusing to acknowledge that the UN says Israel is committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and probably genocide.
UN report:
““The steep rise in cases of abuse filed against Israeli security officers, indicates that a systematic scheme of inhumane treatment is being executed as State policy to deprive Palestinians of their liberty,” it said.
Condemning the horrific war crimes that took place on 7 October 2023, the Committee also held equal condemnation for the Israeli State reaction. “The violent assault on Gaza has been indiscriminate, disproportionate, and callous in nature, cutting off life essential resources, in order to subjugate, dehumanise and collectively punish the Palestinian civilian population,” the Committee said, expressing extreme concern about the impact the war in Gaza is having on future generations on both sides.
“Multiple stakeholders reported a stark increase in sexual harassment, sexual abuse, the threat of rape, and rape itself, including with foreign objects, against men, women, and even children, and intimidation through the use of dogs by Israeli security forces,” the Special Committee said.”
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-special-committee-israeli-practices-occupied-territories-concludes-field
By the looks of it this is not the last time you’ll see these UN findings. Each you open your lying mouth to claim that only Hamas is responsible. This will be the response. Believe me.
@33: “…by pulling comments out of context,”
What, your quote about rape being just another part of warfare, and your groundless and insulting speculation the American Patriot colonists may have engaged in rape as standard practice, during our Revolutionary War? Hamas fully weaponized rape on 10/7, and then denied it when, contrary to their intent, a very few victims and witnesses actually survived to tell. Then UN Women spent months ignoring Hamas’ weaponization of rape, outfits like the_intercept unsuccessfully tried to discredit some of the reporters, and women’s groups had to stage protests outside UNHQ in New York before UN Women would even mention what had happened. All of that is directly relevant to both Hamas’ conduct, and the (lack of) UN response to it. It’s also directly relevant here: “Other posts Carlson-Ziegler liked included ones dismissing or denying the atrocities on Oct. 7 as propaganda…” That’s why Randall fired her, not because of vague unsourced rumors about AIPAC.
It would help if your precious UN ‘experts,’ having finally been shamed into learning of Hamas’ rape campaign, would now learn the meanings of the words they use:
“The violent assault on Gaza has been indiscriminate,”
No, as we have seen, an “indiscriminate” assault (like, say, one that also killed foreign farm workers in Israel on 10/7) kills over 1,000 persons in a day, using only small-arms fire. If the IDF had been using just the same arms as Hamas did on 10/7, then we could reasonably expect ~250,000 dead in Gaza by now. If they’d been using their entire arsenal in an “indiscriminate” manner, the death toll would be far higher. So why is it a small fraction of those numbers? How about the IDF carefully trying to target only Hamas, and Hamas constantly moving, to continue firing at the IDF and Israel from behind civilians? Have you considered that? Have your ‘experts’? It’s not like they didn’t have a few years to prepare: “Hamas, an Islamist militant group and the de facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip, has been using human shields in conflicts with Israel since 2007.” (https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/hamas_human_shields.pdf)
Every crime occurs in a context. Each specific context may determine the severity of the crime — or even if one occurred. As Hamas has made a longstanding and widespread practice of using civilians as shields, any future Israeli defendants can cite Hamas’ use of civilians for human shields in their defenses against charges of war crimes. (Too bad ‘the left’ hasn’t noticed that yet, eh?)
Contrary to your constant dishonest insinuations, I have never denied that members of the IDF may have committed war crimes in Gaza. (Indeed, it would be nothing short of astounding if eight months of near-constant urban warfare had produced zero war crimes by either Hamas or the IDF.) I have always said war criminals should be held accountable. You should worry a bit more about your willingness to give terrorists a pass, even when they’re committing rape, especially when the beliefs which motivate them violate every last principle you so loudly claim to uphold.
I have every confidence my consistent support of international law will age well. Your hand-waving at rape? Not so much. You whiningly demanded my response? There it is.
@34 Your refusal to address meaningfully the finding of the UN commission posted @14 says all there is to say about what you are trying to do. Attempts at smearing critics of Israel, including the UN, is an integral part of these tactics copied from the Israeli playbook.
UN report:
“The steep rise in cases of abuse filed against Israeli security officers, indicates that a systematic scheme of inhumane treatment is being executed as State policy to deprive Palestinians of their liberty,” it said.
Condemning the horrific war crimes that took place on 7 October 2023, the Committee also held equal condemnation for the Israeli State reaction. “The violent assault on Gaza has been indiscriminate, disproportionate, and callous in nature, cutting off life essential resources, in order to subjugate, dehumanise and collectively punish the Palestinian civilian population,” the Committee said, expressing extreme concern about the impact the war in Gaza is having on future generations on both sides.
“Multiple stakeholders reported a stark increase in sexual harassment, sexual abuse, the threat of rape, and rape itself, including with foreign objects, against men, women, and even children, and intimidation through the use of dogs by Israeli security forces,” the Special Committee said.”
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-special-committee-israeli-practices-occupied-territories-concludes-field
@35: So, you are indeed having an episode? Or you’re a bot? Or there’s no ‘meaningful’ difference?
@36 Pot kettle black (repeats exact same lies for months on end, then complains about unoriginal answers)
@31: AIPAC!! Colonialist settlers! Rogue state!! British Empire gave Arabs divine right to Palestine! Gaza LGBTQ please STFU! “From the river to the Sea, we have no real sense of rhythm!”
With arguments like those, you just really can’t understand why you’re losing, can you?