Bowman* draws parallel between US policing and Israeli occupation

[George II]

(* this is the Bowman running in the NY-16 primary, not the Bowman running in the KY Senate primary)

BY MICHAEL ARRIA JUNE 22, 2020

Progressive challenger Jamaal Bowman is trying to unseat long-time incumbent Eliot Engel in New York’s 16th district and Israel has become a central part of the race. Engel is one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in congress and Bowman would support conditioning military aid to the country if elected.

Earlier this month Rabbi Avi Weiss wrote an open letter to Bowman, implying that he is too pro-Palestine and asking for more clarification on his BDS position. “Our community is proud of its commitment to American values including, of course, racial harmony and equality for all. And among the issues most important to us is the well-being of the State of Israel, one of America’s greatest allies. Unfortunately, your comments on Israel have fallen far, far short,” wrote Weiss.

Bowman has now responded to Weiss with a letter of his own, clarifying some of his views. In his response, Bowman makes a direct connection between the protests currently gripping the United States and the situation in Palestine:

The uprising we’re witnessing across the country against police violence also makes me empathize with the everyday experience and fear that comes with living under occupation. Just as the police force is a violent intimidating force in so many black communities, I can connect to what it feels like for Palestinians to feel the presence of the military in their daily lives in the West Bank.

I wonder if Mr. Bowman realizes that Eliot Engel is Jewish and NY-16 has a very large Jewish constituency?

https://mondoweiss.net/2020/06/bowman-draws-parallel-between-us-policing-and-israeli-occupation/

[BeyondGeography]

1. Yeah, he knows

Link to tweet

[abqtommy]

2. Mr. Bowman may come up with a surprise win here. I'd never expect all Jews to agree on

anything...