With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict mostly subdued as a result of a ceasefire, the tensions have sparked a dialogue in the US around the antisemitic violence that Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) has blamed on the Squad.
In the first weeks of the conflict, Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made controversial headlines as she called Israeli foreign aid "an act of terrorism," and convinced her other squad members to endorse her characterization of Israel as an "apartheid regime."
Recently, the US has seen a spike in antisemitic acts of violence, mostly surrounding New York City and other populated places as bold Progressives continue to push their "Zionist" narrative.
Democrats have been more than hesitant to call out the extremism, until Congressman Deutch, a Jewish representative from Florida, finally blamed the recent spike in anti-semitism on his own party and more specifically, the Squad.
Speaking at a virtual event with other legislators to address antisemitism in Florida, Deutch took aim at the Squad who has called Israel "apartheid," such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).
"When we have colleagues whose position is 'Palestine from the river to the sea,' which includes no place for a Jewish state, and when our colleagues wrongly and falsely describe Israel as an apartheid state, there is a context for all of this," Rep. Deutch added, "Attacks like that against Jews have led to antisemitism and expulsion, and violence around the world."
Rep. Deutch also made a point to call out "people in the United States who hear that the entire state of Israel is some unacceptable creation," according to Jewish Insider.
The event took place the same night as an in-person event at the Florida Holocaust Museum in Tampa Bay, protesting a recent vandalism attack against the facility. Last week, the museum was graffitied with swastikas and the message "The Jews are guilty."
