The Audacity to Call for Self-Determination & Equality
Congressman Ro Khanna, a Silicon Valley Progressive Democrat, who was one of eight lawmakers in the delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that toured Israel and the West Bank from February 16–28 set off a fire storm -
No, not by an inelegantly worded criticism of Israel — but by his audacity to call for a Two State Solution based on “self-determination” and “respect for equal rights.”
Apparently, the pro-Palestinian activists (which seem to be more anti-Israel than pro-Palestinian) went bananas.
To make matters worse, the anti-Israel contingent was outraged that Representative Khanna step foot on Israeli soil. This is the new normal, where people are discouraged for getting out of their silos and wanting to see facts on the ground. After all, why let the truth interfere with oft-repeated lies? The backlash was swift and furious.
Did I miss something? What’s all this commotion about equality? These days, when following politics, I feel a lot like comedian Gilda Radner’s Emily Litella character on a Saturday Night Live skit.
Being Silicon Valley-adjacent, my first contact with Representative Khanna was several months ago when I joined a Hadassah “Day in the District” Zoom call with the Congressman. Hadassah members shared our platform of both domestic issues like the importance of protecting reproductive rights, women’s health, combatting anti-Semitism and international issues of standing with Israel and supporting the expanded U.S. — Israel medical partnerships.
I was impressed that Representative Khanna took the time to meet with us (rather than delegating the task to a junior aide). When one of our members expressed concern over the congressman’s perceived lack of support for Israel, he seemed surprised and pointed out that, as a Progressive, he broke with the ranks to condemn BDS (the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, attempting to demonize and isolate Israel).
Yes, Representative Khanna criticizes Israel, and we may have to agree to disagree on some issues. (Note: I also happen to be critical of some Israeli issues just as I am critical of some U.S. issues, but I am a proud and committed American and Zionist).
But back to the backlash of the pro-Palestinian factions — why does “self-determination” and “equality” for both Palestinians and Israelis infuriate pro-Palestinians? I reached out to one such activist (with 130,000 followers) on Twitter to ask, but never received a response.
If these pro-Palestinian factions don’t want a Two State Solution for two peoples, and if they don’t want Jews to have self-determination and equality along with Palestinians, what do they want?
In the words of Emily Litella, “Oh. …. Never mind.”