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Steven Emerson,
Executive Director
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December 1, 2016
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IPT
Story Prompts ADL to Retract Ellison DNC Endorsement
by IPT News • Dec 1, 2016 at 4:21
pm
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U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison's 2010 comments about Israeli political
influence, first
reported Tuesday by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, are
"deeply disturbing and disqualifying" to his bid to become head
of the Democratic National Committee, the Anti-Defamation League announced
in a statement Thursday afternoon.
In remarks given at a private fundraiser, Ellison, D-Minn. implied
Israel enjoyed disproportionate and inappropriate control over U.S. foreign
policy. The IPT obtained a recording of those comments:
"The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by
what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people. A region of 350
million all turns on a country of 7 million. Does that make sense? Is that
logic? Right? When the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350
million get involved, everything changes. Can I say that again?"
In Thursday's statement, ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said
Ellison's comments expose a belief that American policy is driven not by
the country's best interests, but by "religiously or national
origin-based special interests ... Additionally, whether intentional or
not, his words raise the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish
control of our government, a poisonous myth that may persist in parts of
the world where intolerance thrives, but that has no place in open
societies like the U.S."
Greenblatt defended
Ellison last week against criticism of his past association with the
Nation of Islam and his close relationships with Islamist groups like the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), both of
which were created by members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ellison "long ago ... disassociated himself from the [Nation of
Islam] and apologized for its anti-Semitism," Greenblatt wrote. And,
"we have seen no concrete evidence of any link between Ellison and the
Brotherhood."
"He has been outspoken about anti-Semitism and other forms of
bigotry in his role as a congressman. Local Jewish leadership in his
district speaks highly of him," Greenblatt wrote.
But the 2010 comments exposed by the IPT changed all that. Bipartisan
support for Israel, "our most important ally in the region, a
democracy whose emphasis on equality and commitment to the rule of law
stands in stark contrast to the anarchy and authoritarian regimes that
prevail in much of the Middle East" is vital, Thursday's statement
said. The next head of the Democratic Party should "have fidelity to
these timeless ideals at all times."
The DNC is expected to choose its next leader in early 2017.
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