RJC Statement on Amnesty International Report
Washington, DC (February 2, 2022) – RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman responded today to the release of the Amnesty International-UK report accusing Israel of apartheid:
The report published by Amnesty International accusing Israel of apartheid is an outrageous document that ignores history, twists the definition of words, and tells outright lies about the State of Israel, its Arab population, and its Palestinian neighbors.
To begin with, the document repeatedly refers to the founding of Israel in 1948 as the start of Israel’s “oppression” of Palestinians. To Amnesty International, the very existence of the Jewish state is the problem and dismantling it is the solution. The report’s recommendations (read demands) for Israel constitute a recipe for ending Jewish national sovereignty in any part of the Jewish homeland.
The report bristles with weaponized omissions. Despite Israel’s enemies being absolutely clear about their intentions, Hamas is mentioned only 26 times in 280 pages; rockets are mentioned 6 times; Islamic Jihad not at all; and suicide bomb/bomber/bombings also not at all. This antisemitic, fundamentally biased, and untruthful attack is likely to further endanger Jewish people around the world.
The report appears intended to derail the growing, peaceful cooperation between Israel and its regional neighbors since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020. The report and Amnesty International-UK should be condemned by everyone. The Republican Jewish Coalition condemns both and will continue to do so.