'This is who he is': Georgia Dem Senate hopeful Raphael Warnock's views on Israel should set off a lot of alarm bells [video]

Reverend Raphael Warnock is running as a Democrat for U.S. Senate in Georgia’s special election.

And, judging by his views on Israel, he’d fit right in with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Warnock’s GOP opponent Kelly Loeffler tweeted about those views yesterday:

.@ReverendWarnock says he wants Georgians to look at his record.

We are — and it’s as anti-Israel as it gets. This is just one more example. He’s trying to run away from it now, but Georgians aren’t going to let him.https://t.co/60iU3Pj29T #gapol #gasen

— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) November 10, 2020

And Warnock’s supporters are rallying to his defense. Here’s the Forward’s Ari Ephraim Feldman:

New: Raphael Warnock’s Jewish allies insist he is a strong supporter of Israel.

His opponent, Kelly Loeffler, tweeted falsely that he is anti-Israel.

A report from @J_Insider with a misleading headline teed off the scrutiny of Warnock’s Israel views.https://t.co/9WC4qI5Uuh

— Ari Ephraim Feldman (@aefeldman) November 10, 2020

The headline said that Warnock signed a letter that likened the West Bank to apartheid South Africa—a claim amplified by ideological news outlets.

The letter (written partly by South African clergy) was a bit more nuanced in its historical references. https://t.co/9WC4qI5Uuh

— Ari Ephraim Feldman (@aefeldman) November 10, 2020

“Nuanced.” Right.

Any comparison between Israel and apartheid South Africa is sure to anger some American Jews.

But the letter was unequivocal about support for a two-state solution, which signatories see as endangered by the military occupation and settlement expansion.https://t.co/9WC4qI5Uuh

— Ari Ephraim Feldman (@aefeldman) November 10, 2020

Warnock, unfortunately, has a long record of hostility to Israel that cannot be dismissed as this article attempts to do quite dishonestly (and smugly). If anything, @J_Insider downplayed how bad his record is. @rudoren, how did you let this get published? Short thread. 1/ https://t.co/xnDbDBYG6w

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 10, 2020

First, @aefeldman puzzlingly ignores yesterday's @J_Insider scoop revealing a horrendous 2018 Warnock sermon: "We saw the government of Israel shoot down unarmed Palestinian sisters and brothers like birds of prey." Pals are brothers & sisters, Israelis are birds of prey. Nice.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 10, 2020

Second, @aefeldman's reporting on the statement Warnock signed just last year leaves out virtually every anti-Israel trope in it. Here are a few items that didn't make the cut in his piece:

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 10, 2020

Gazans, per the Warnock statement, are subjected to "collective punishment" (a war crime, BTW), "subjugated," and Gaza is "one big densely populated prison" run by Israel. Palestinians in WB & Gaza "live a grinding and dehumanizing existence" because of Israel.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 10, 2020

Israel, the Warnock statement says and @aefeldman ignores, "confiscated" the homes of Palestinians in 1948 and maintains "laws of segregation that allow one thing for the Jewish people and another for the Palestinians." This accusation of Apartheid racism is flagrantly false.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

There is more smelly rhetoric used in the Warnock statement to describe only the Jews, who are engaged in "an unstoppable gobbling up of Palestinian lands." Birds of prey, unstoppble gobbling — where have we seen this kind of rhetoric used? Not newsworthy, @rudoren?

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

The Warnock statement endorses the demographic destruction of Israel when it says: "We call for the return of [Palestinian] refugees and exiles." They're talking about millions of members of the Palestinian diaspora, and the goal is the eradication of Israel as a Jewish state.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

Warnock, now that his anti-Israel record has been exposed, is suddenly denouncing BDS, the movement to destroy Israel through economic/diplomatic/political warfare. But the statement he signed last year endorsed BDS. It called for "an end of weapons sales" to Israel. And…

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

…it said this, which is tortuous but ultimately perfectly clear: "We are keenly aware of the need to preserve the option of utilizing economic pressure as a means of bringing recalcitrant dominant forces to the negotiating table." Shorter version: They support BDS.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

There's more to the statement Warnock signed, which is long, detailed, & awful. Israel is a monster, the Pals are angels. It even claims, ludicrously, that "the leaders of the Palestinian Authority had made a conscious decision to forgo armed solutions to the conflict."

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

It ends w/ a comparison of Israel's alleged treatment of the Pals to Apartheid, slavery, & Holocaust. Little of this made it into @J_Insider piece, yet it seems that for @aefeldman & @rudoren, it is imperative that Warnock receive a Jewish stamp of approval. No criticism allowed.

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

Needless to say, @KLoeffler is entirely right to highlight Warnock's strange anti-Israel fixation. I encourage everyone to read his statement for themselves: https://t.co/XTB9S5j7hK

— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 11, 2020

It’s all there in black and white — if you’re willing to face it.

I was the Midwest Political Director @AIPAC when Andre Carson was elected. When Keith Ellison was elected. When Justin Amash was elected. I’ve seen the way this works. Georgia…don’t believe anything @ReverendWarnock tells you about his views on Israel. Just watch the video.

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

I wasn’t at AIPAC when people like Betty McCollum and Jim Traficant and a handful of other terrible Israel-haters were elected. But the point is that we rarely get to see who they are before they’re in office. These revelations about Rev Warnock are a gift. Accept them.

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

Here's the video: https://t.co/pYcIN8Vnqu

— Uri Pilichowski (@RationalSettler) November 10, 2020

Ugh.

I understand this will be difficult for progressive friends of mine in the Jewish community in Georgia (yes, I have progressive friends in Georgia). But this is who he is. And this is who he’ll be if you put him in the Senate. https://t.co/KV6lnExM24

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

Justin Amash told me to my face that he would support new sanctions on Iran. He voted against them every time. I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t have anything to base that on but my gut.

Georgia, you have video evidence. You don’t need your gut. That video is who he is.

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

Multiple members of the Jewish community in Indy – clergy included! – told me we had nothing to worry about from Andre Carson.

He’s become one of the most reliable anti-Israel votes in Congress.

Don’t listen to people who claim to know him. They don’t. Believe your eyes.

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

And ears.

I should add: most people who will tell you Rev Warnock is a good guy, loves the Jewish community etc – they aren’t lying. They believe it. Some are rank partisans, but most believe it. They’re just wrong. Again, just believe your eyes. Watch the video.

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 10, 2020

And here’s the letter that @ReverendWarnock signed which is, believe it or not, considerably worse than than the video. https://t.co/4StyOpZPYf

— Jonathan Greenberg (@JGreenbergSez) November 11, 2020

From the letter: