Views on Israeli policy are allegedly shifting amongst younger generations in US
For Congress, the allegations of anti-Semitism directed toward Rep. Ilhan Omar have no precedent. Yet on college campuses, in state legislatures and in many other venues nationwide, the polarized debate about Israel is a familiar conflict and likely to intensify in the months and years ahead.
Fueled by a wave of youthful activists, including many Jews aligning with Muslims, criticism of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians has grown in volume and scope, with persistent calls for boycotts and disinvestment. Pro-Israel organizations and politicians have countered with tough responses, and efforts to reconcile the differences have gained little traction.
Among those fearing escalation is Deborah Lipstadt, a history professor at Emory University and author of a new book, "Antisemitism: Here and Now," about the recent resurgence of anti-Semitism in the United States and Europe. She calls herself an optimist, but she says it's hard to be hopeful in the current political climate.
One of the first two Muslim women in Congress, Omar supports a contentious part of the overall dispute — the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, or BDS, which promotes various forms of boycotts against Israel.
In response to the BDS movement, 26 states have passed laws seeking to deter businesses and individuals from participating in it. For example, a Texas law requires contractors who work for or do business with the state to certify that they do not boycott Israel or Israeli-occupied territories.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed lawsuits challenging the Texas law and similar laws in three other states, saying they violate the right to free speech. A separate lawsuit was filed in Texas by a speech language pathologist, Bahia Amawi, who said she lost her contract with the state because she would not sign the certification.
The ADL's CEO and national director, Jonathan Greenblatt, says not all people engaged in the BDS campaign are anti-Semitic, but he contends the movement itself "is anti-Semitic in its origins."
For now, supporters of Israeli policy have some key advantages: Republicans in Congress are solidly in their camp, as are many Christian evangelicals, who make up a key part of President Donald Trump's political base. But there are some shifts — notably a widening split of viewpoints among Democrats.
Both Muslims and Jews have reason to be alarmed by data on hate crimes. The latest FBI report showed a sharp increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2017. FBI data also shows that anti-Muslim attacks have doubled since 2013.
"With anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on the rise, we have a lot of work to do," said Aziza Hasan, executive director of a Los Angeles-based Muslim-Jewish partnership called NewGround. "Our destiny is intertwined and we should act like it."
