On September 23rd, a small group of U.S. lawmakers temporarily blocked funding to replenish the Iron Dome, Israel’s primary defensive missile system in a publicity stunt designed to demonize the Jewish state. The next day, the House of Representatives resoundingly passed bipartisan legislation to approve the $1 billion funding. But that hasn’t stopped radical anti-Israel groups from spreading misinformation in the name of human rights.
Radical anti-Israel groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Code Pink, and the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) oppose the Iron Dome and disguise themselves as human rights groups promoting peace. In truth, these groups promote divisive and false narratives that inflame the conflict and obstruct peace.
JVP ostensibly appears to support peace between Israelis and Palestinians from a Jewish perspective. The clever name conceals an ugly truth: JVP has a history of partnering with antisemites and does not represent the views of the majority of the Jewish community. The organization also has a disturbingly active presence at GW. GW JVP supports the antisemitic Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement and echoes the national organization’s dishonest sentiment. The campus organization has advocated against the IHRA definition of antisemitism and has misrepresented its views as mainstream within the Jewish community.
Similarly, Code Pink positions itself as a social justice organization but also partners with and promotes prominent antisemites like Maya Walker and Jeremy Corbyn. Like JVP, the IMEU has worked to smear the ADL and other Jewish civil rights organizations These organizations have made it clear that they will do anything to damage Israel’s reputation, even if it means working with known antisemites.
The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts rockets fired from the West Bank and Gaza into Israel moments before they reach major population centers and critical infrastructure. The Iron Dome is capable of both detecting and intercepting, concurrent and consecutive rocket launches. The Iron Dome has saved countless Israeli lives, and it is essential for the protection of the Jewish state. This past May, the system served its purpose when Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both genocidal terrorist groups, indiscriminately launched over 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians over 11 days. Despite intercepting over 1,577 rockets, 13 Israelis died and hundreds more were injured. The Iron Dome obstructed the goal of Hamas: the mass murder of Israelis.
Yet, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) was one of the first groups to speak out against the additional spending provision. Senior JVP Government Affairs Manager Beth Miller characterized the funding as $1 billion in “military spending”, failing to acknowledge the intended use of the funds toward a critical defense system. They even launched a petition titled “Say NO to another $1 billion in military funding to Israel” to rally public support against Iron Dome funding.
Organizations like Code Pink and the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) joined JVP; purportedly with concerns for the well-being of Palestinians and the lack of a comparable defense system in the Gaza Strip; however, they failed to hold Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, the entities that rule the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively, accountable for inciting violence, indoctrinating youth, and using civilians as human shields. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) peddled these lies in her inflammatory speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. She made no mention of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority’s role in heightening tensions, perpetuating the conflict, and profiting from Palestinian suffering. How does disarming Israel of its primary means of defense solve these problems?
Further, the notion that Israel is responsible for Hamas’s refusal to protect Palestinians is absurd. The terrorist group uses the illegal and inhumane practice of launching rockets from and storing weapons in civilian homes and hospitals. Hamas blatantly uses innocent Palestinians as human shields. This, coupled with their indiscriminate firing of rockets at Israel and its citizens, constitutes a double war crime by Hamas.
By contrast, Israel works hard to protect its citizens by investing in technology and infrastructure designed to protect civilians. Nothing is stopping Hamas from doing the same; instead, the terrorist group continues to relentlessly attack Israel and hide behind innocent civilians. If anti-Israel groups truly cared about Palestinians or peace for that matter, they would condemn Hamas and seek solutions that save civilian lives. Instead, their deafening silence shows their true intentions: to slander Israel and erode the prospects for peace.
