-Most of the things that have
always been aggravating to me
is that we have had a policy
that makes one superior
to the other.
-When you get into Congress,
will you vote against
US military aid for Israel?
-Absolutely, if it has
something to do with inequality
and not access
to people having justice.
-The midterm elections gave
Congress the most diverse group
of Democratic lawmakers
that we've seen in history.
And in addition to diversity in
gender, in sexual orientation,
and race, what that has also
meant is diversity in worldview.
And one of the areas that we
are seeing
that diversity
cause the most tension
is what Democratic
lawmakers believe
and feel about Israel
and the West Bank.
Specifically lawmakers who
have been very critical
of Israel's occupation
of the West Bank
have had no problems voicing
that and showing their support
for the BDS movement,
the boycott, divest,
and sanction Israel movement.
-It's hurtful not just to me,
but to many Jewish members
I've spoken to.
-Would you like to
see an apology?
-Well, she --
More than an apology.
I hope that we're able
to educate
all of our colleagues
about appropriate statements.
They're hurtful.
-Even in Representative Omar's
apology letter,
she made it very clear
that Democrats and Republicans
should have no problem
calling out
what she considers
to be problematic lobbyists.
And she listed the NRA.
She listed the fossil
fuel industry.
And she also listed AIPAC.
Recently, some lawmakers
on the right
have spoken out about the need
for Democratic leaders
to take a more active role
in criticizing
some of these lawmakers.
-Do you see these cases
as being directly
comparable
to the Steve King case?
-Yes, and more so.
And I think this will not be
the end of this,
and if they do not take action,
I think you'll see action
from myself on ways that we --
that this cannot sustain itself.
-The lawmakers who are what they
would consider
holding Israel accountable
and holding America's support
of Israel accountable feel like
they have to be true
to their base
and their own values,
and so they're not
gonna walk away.
-To label me as some sort of
anti-Semite, I can tell you,
from campaigning
against Take on Hate
to pushing back against
so much racism
and bigotry against anybody
based on their faith
is what I do on a daily basis.
-When I see Israel institute law
that recognizes it
as a Jewish state
and does not recognize the other
religions that are living in it
and we still uphold it as
a democracy in the Middle East,
I almost chuckle.
-They're really frustrated
with their critics,
and they see hypocrisy
among their critics.
They point to lawmakers
like Representative
Steve King from Iowa,
who has been allowed
to express views
and ideas that resonate with
white supremacists for years
before Republican lawmakers
responded to him.
All of this is of concern
to many people
watching hate groups,
because we do know
that in the past several years,
there has been a rise
in anti-Semitism,
and many people believe
that it's because
of some of the conversations
coming out of Capitol Hill,
even as far up
as the White House,
that have made people
who have ideas
that are not supportive
and sensitive to Jewish people
feel more freedom
in vocalizing them.
