Salazar to Host Hearing on Antisemitism in Latin America

The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs announced it will hold a hearing into ‘The Agents of Antisemitism in Latin America’ next Thursday, March 7th.  

Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Chairwoman Maria Salazar (R-FL) will lead the hearing. 

Representative Salazar has been a staunch critic of the reaction of several Latin American countries to Hamas’ October 7th attacks and Israel’s retaliatory efforts.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, for example, compared Israel’s anti-Hamas operations to those carried out by the Nazi’s against the Jews during World War Two. 

Salazar called Petro's statements "unhinged and antisemitic," adding that "In no universe should any leader, especially one that governs a democratic nation, compare Israel to Nazi Germany and accuse it of genocide."

During the hearing next Thursday, Salazar has invited Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt to serve as an expert witness on the matter. 

Amassador Lipstadt is an expert on antisemitism and has led efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy to counter antisemitism throughout the world. 

Lipstadt has previously publicly exposed and criticized foreign government’s actions to undermine Jews. 

Last January, Lipstadt defined South Africa’s decision to demote a Jewish rugby player for his public support of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic. 

Florida legislators have been actively seeking to counteract antisemitic sentiment while supporting Israel’s efforts against Hamas. 

Last week, a group of conservative US senators led by Rick Scott (R-FL) sent President Joe Biden a letter urging him to revise his Israel foreign policy strategy, claiming it currently undermined Israel’s interests. 

 Namely, the senators are concerned over two recent executive decrees sanctioning certain Israeli citizens and slowing the transfer and sale of weapons to Israel. 

Consequently, the senators claim President Biden’s acts counteract Israel’s efforts to defeat Hamas.

“Both documents undercut our most valuable alliance in the Middle East,” reads the letter.