Jewish NYC Councilman Punished for Stating Truth About Palestine: It Doesn't Exist
Political correctness in the United States has entered a half-blind overdrive. Rules applied to one side in political questions clearly don’t affect their opponents.
As we’ve seen, Democrats’ treatment of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process sits in stark contrast to how they’re treating allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential 2020 presidential candidate.
Leftist double standards not only separate which sexual allegations should end in the withdrawal of an accused nominee for the nation’s high court and which shouldn’t be grounds for disqualification for someone running for the presidency but are now also landing even Democrats in trouble if they don’t toe the party line.
A recent story out of New York is proving the left is applying its two sets of rules to the Israel-Palestine conflict as well. The punishment of one New York City councilman, a Democrat, for stating an obvious fact about Palestine is miles beyond anything that’s even been considered for U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, another Democrat, for her anti-Semitic tirades.
According to The New York Times, Brooklyn Councilman Kalman Yeger, who is Jewish, was unceremoniously booted from a New York City Council committee on immigration after tweeting, “Palestine does not exist.”
Palestine does not exist.
There, I said it again.
Also, Congresswoman Omar is an antisemite. Said that too.
Thanks for following me. https://t.co/apM565HoEV— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) March 27, 2019
It’s undeniable that Yeger had a point.
Technically, Palestine isn’t a state. While many countries pretend there’s such thing as a Palestine government, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and most of Western Europe aren’t among them.
And although the Palestinian people are a very real ethnic group, Yeger likely wouldn’t have been criticized for saying “Kurdistan does not exist,” because there is no such country as Kurdistan, though the Kurds definitely exist as a people (and as a fighting force.)
After the offending tweet, criticism and demands for an apology began pouring in, including a request from New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.
During a WNYC’s weekly radio segment “Ask the Mayor” on Friday, De Blasio said, “I think someone who has the ability to say that about Palestinian people by definition should not be on the Immigration Committee,” according to the New York Post. (Check out the radio show here. De Blasio’s comments start about the 24:30 mark.)
“Now,” De Blasio continued, “if he comes out and he apologizes, and says, ‘Look, I was wrong and I realize what I did was hurtful and I’ve got to change,’ different discussion. But if he’s not going to apologize he shouldn’t be on the committee.”
On Monday, New York City Council leaders met and decided on Yeger’s punishment. The Jewish councilman was kicked off the immigration committee.
In a statement, according to The Times, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said, “I do not believe that someone who engages in the type of rhetoric we heard from Council Member Yeger belongs on the immigration committee, which is supposed to welcome and support immigrants in our city.”
Instead of kowtowing to liberal insanity, Yeger doubled down.
In a tweet following his removal, he insisted that a Palestinian state simply does not exist.
I respect the Speaker’s right to run the Council as he sees fit. It’s unfortunate that political correctness takes precedence over objective fact. Of course, there are Palestinians. However, the fact remains there is no Palestinian state.https://t.co/nRnIH3nk4u
— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) April 2, 2019
The United States Jewish population appears to be at a political crossroads.
To the left, “progressives” are singing a siren’s song of diversity, multiculturalism and acceptance.
But the sweet taste of harmony soon turns to bitterness as their true feelings surface. Anti-Semitic sentiments and anti-Israel bias are becoming more apparent every day.
To the right sit conservatives. Longtime defenders and supporters of Israel, they don’t need to shout “inclusiveness” at the top of their lungs to make their beliefs heard.
This can be seen in everyday actions, like that of Vice President Mike Pence as he quietly fixed a remembrance banner while visiting Auschwitz in February.
Actions do speak louder than words, and leftists are making themselves clearly heard through theirs.
And as the treatment of Yeger shows, not even being a Democrat is a defense against political correctness.
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