In a scathing rebuke, a group of distinguished Israelis has condemned the US Congress's invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session on July 24. The critics, spanning various sectors of Israeli society, argue that this gesture rewards Netanyahu's "scandalous and destructive conduct" towards Israel, in The New York Times opinion piece on Tuesday.

The authors, who hail from various sectors of Israeli society, including science, technology, politics, defense, law, and culture, contend that Netanyahu's government is "driving Israel downhill at an alarming speed" and that the country may eventually be lost as a result. They contend that Netanyahu's government is rapidly driving Israel towards ruin, citing his failure to end the Gaza war and secure hostage releases as prime examples of his ineffectiveness.

"Inviting Netanyahu will reward his contempt for US efforts to establish a peace plan, allow more aid to the beleaguered people of Gaza, and do a better job of sparing civilians," the authors write in The New York Times. They argue that the invitation should have been contingent upon resolving these issues and calling for new elections in Israel.

The critics also accuse Netanyahu of repeatedly rejecting President Biden's plan to remove Hamas from power in Gaza through the establishment of a peacekeeping force, a move they believe could lead to a broader regional alliance and a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They assert that such an outcome is not only in Israel's interest but also in the interest of both political parties in the United States.

Furthermore, the authors contend that Netanyahu has failed to take responsibility for the blunders that allowed the Hamas assault, initially blaming security chiefs before quickly backtracking. They call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, headed by a Supreme Court judge, to investigate the fiasco.

The opinion piece also highlights the ongoing nationwide demonstrations in Israel, with participants demanding an immediate release of the hostages, an end to the war, and immediate elections. Polls cited by the authors indicate that a majority of Israelis support these demands, reflecting a growing loss of faith in Netanyahu's government.

"Giving Netanyahu the stage in Washington will all but dismiss the rage and pain of his people, as expressed in the demonstrations throughout the country," the authors write, urging American lawmakers to reconsider the invitation and ask the prime minister to stay home.

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The House voted 227 to 186 in favor of the war powers resolution, the latest effort by Congress to wrest back from the president its constitutionally guaranteed authority to declare war. Almost every Democrat voted in favor of the resolution. Just six of Trump's fellow Republicans supported it.

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The measure – authored by Democratic US Senator Tim Kaine – would require Trump to remove US troops engaged in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force.

"It's our responsibility to do something because we know the tensions could flare up again at a moment's notice," said Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urging a "yes" vote.

Trump has been engaged in a maximum pressure campaign of renewed sanctions and near-constant rhetorical conflict against Iran, after pulling the United States out of the international nuclear deal reached during the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama.

The Senate passed the war powers resolution last month, so approval sends it to the White House, where Trump has promised a veto.

Although eight of Trump's fellow Republicans in the Senate – who rarely break from the president's policies – joined Democrats to support the resolution in that chamber, the resolution was not expected to muster the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override a veto.

Representative Mike McCaul, the foreign affairs committee's top Republican, argued that voting on the resolution was irresponsible, and Congress would be better off addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the measure ignored the "remarkable restraint" Trump had shown in dealings with Iran.

"This will be the fifth time that this Congress ... [Is] considering a war powers resolution directing the president to withdraw US forces from wars we are not actually fighting," McCaul said.

The bill's supporters noted that they were gaining more support for efforts to take back Congress' authority to declare war. The Constitution gives that power to Congress, not the president, but presidents from both parties in recent decades have expanded the White House's authority to pursue military action without legislators' input.

"Our founding fathers did not want dictators running America," said Representative Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.

Many members of Congress, including some Republicans, have pushed the administration for more information about the killing in January of Soleimani at Baghdad's airport.

Trump did not inform Congress about the drone strike until after it took place and then, according to some lawmakers, his administration held back too much information about the reason for the strike and its legal justification.

Fears of wider conflict also could be fueled by the killing of two American and two British personnel on Wednesday when rockets hit Iraq's Camp Taji military base north of Baghdad.

US officials said it was too early to assign blame, but any indication that Iran-backed militias were responsible could ignite a new round of military escalation.

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The Israel Anti-Boycott Act, introduced by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), would have expanded the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to include prohibiting US support for foreign boycotts of Israel from groups including the European Union and the UN Human Rights Council.

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Lawmakers defeated consideration of the bill by a tally of 219-194.

"We cannot be quiet when it comes to combating anti-Semitism and anti-Israel mentalities," said Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) on the House floor. "We need to work together in Congress and pass common-sense legislation on this issue. H.R. 5595 does just that."

Zeldin, who mentioned in his speech on the House floor that the UN Human Rights Council released a blacklist of companies that do business in Judea and Samaria, said: "BDS tries to delegitimize Israel by turning it into a pariah state, cut off from all trade, tourism, military, diplomatic and cultural ties with the rest of the world."

The bill stated that it would not apply to "a person's noncommercial speech or other noncommercial expressive activity."

Democrats have been reluctant to support anti-BDS legislation due to First Amendment concerns, although it is unclear whether that rationale was the reason that House Democrats blocked the bill.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The four Democrats who opposed the resolution were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) – freshmen Congresswomen euphemistically known as "The Squad."

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Omar co-sponsored the original bill, but felt unable to support it in the House after significant changes were made in the committee stage. She was also said to be unhappy about the inclusion of language committing the United States to $38 billion of military assistance.

Today, I believe we are squandering a real opportunity to support peace in Israel/Palestine.

Here is why I can't support the final version of H.Res 326, a resolution about U.S. support for a two-state solution that I fear will make it impossible to ever bring about that peace.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 6, 2019

Tlaib also criticized the bill, speaking out against it from the floor of the House adorned with a black and white keffiyeh wrapped around her shoulders. Invoking the language of the Civil Rights Movement in the US, opining that "separate but equal didn't work in our country," in an egregious attempt to equate the two situations. She also argued that the resolution did not account for steps that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allegedly taken to ensure the demise of the two-state solution.

Ultimately, the bill was introduced as a rebuke to the Trump administration's overtures to Israel's right-wing, the House resolution supported a two-state solution, "recording opposition to any peace plan put forward by the Trump administration that doesn't expressly call for an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side with a Jewish state of Israel," according to The Hill.

The sands are shifting with regard to the opinion in the legislature regarding the Israel-Palestine conundrum. Solid bipartisan support is becoming a thing of the past – especially when a figure as unpopular and divisive as 45 – is president. The bill was brought after a raft of Trump administration measures that the Democrats have criticized for endangering the so-called two-state solution; including moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel's capital since 1949; recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and punitive cuts of US aid to the Palestinians.

In addition, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that there would be a shift in US policy vis-à-vis Israeli settlements in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. They would no longer be considered illegal under international law, a rebuttal of one of the Obama administration's last pieces of business – to not veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which claimed their illegality.

For some commentators, the Squad's decision to vote against the resolution was yet more evidence of their animus toward the world's only Jewish state. This sentiment was echoed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY)  opening remarks from the floor. He decried the idea of a one-state solution, arguing that "Israel's right to exist as a state that is both Jewish and democratic is incompatible with a one-state solution, period," The Hill reported.

Similarly, international lawyer and political analyst Arsen Ostrovksy tweeted that none of them is interested in a two-state solution at all, rather the destruction of the state of Israel.

#TheSquad unveiling their mask!

They never cared for 2 State Solution or peace in first place! They've wanted One State and the destruction of #Israel all along! Will @TheDemocrats leadership & 2020 candidates condemn @RashidaTlaib @IlhanMN? pic.twitter.com/AEWxuU3Yju

— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) December 6, 2019

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"We haven't seen widespread evidence of ethnic cleansing," said James Jeffrey, special representative for Syria, at a House of Representatives hearing.

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"Many people fled because they're very concerned about these Turkish-supported Syrian opposition forces, as we are. We've seen several incidents which we consider war crimes," Jeffrey said.

He said US officials were looking into those reports and at "a high-level" had demanded an explanation from Turkey's government. He also said US officials were investigating a report that the restricted burning white phosphorus had been used during the Turkish offensive.

Jeffrey and Matthew Palmer, a deputy assistant secretary of state who handles issues including relations with Turkey, spent a second straight day testifying in the US Congress.

Many lawmakers, including Trump's fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, disagree with Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria, which cleared the way for Turkish troops to cross the border to fight against Kurdish forces who for years helped US troops fight against Islamic State terrorists.

"How could the United States do something so senseless, so disgraceful, so contrary to our values?" Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said as he opened the hearing.

Jeffrey called Turkey's crossing the border and offensive against the Kurds "a tragic disaster for northeast Syria."

As the hearing took place, Trump announced that he was lifting recent sanctions imposed in response to violence in Syria, after Turkey said it is stopping combat and making a ceasefire in northern Syria permanent.

Jeffrey also confirmed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's statement that more than 100 Islamic State fighters had escaped. "We do not know where they are," Jeffrey told the hearing.

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The House of Representatives passed the resolution by a 398-17 margin on Tuesday, rejecting the boycott movement and its efforts to target US companies that do business with Israel.

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The BDS movement promotes boycotts, divestment and sanctions of Israeli institutions and businesses. Israel says the campaign masks a deeper goal of delegitimizing and even destroying the country.

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, who leads Israel's efforts against BDS, called the resolution an "important achievement" and a powerful show of bipartisan support for Israel.

"We will work to implement this decision and turn it into practical policy against the efforts of the boycott campaign," he said.

The BDS movement said the resolution is "based on lies and aims to demonize powerful resistance to Israel's military occupation and apartheid."

The boycott movement's economic impact on Israel has been minimal, but it has enjoyed stronger success in the entertainment and academic worlds, gaining significant support on US college campuses.

Israel and its allies, however, have succeeded in promoting legislation in US states and elsewhere against BDS. In May, for instance, German lawmakers passed a resolution that denounced the boycott movement and described its methods as anti-Semitic – a charge that BDS activists vehemently deny.

Omar Barghouti, a founder of the boycott movement, said it has a "zero-tolerance policy" against all formats of discrimination, including anti-Semitism. He said this week's House resolution "reinforces other McCarthyite anti-BDS laws, and will have a chilling effect on free speech."

Critics accuse Israel of making unfair accusations of anti-Semitism to stifle legitimate debate over Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, a grassroots group in the West Bank that tries to "raise awareness" and mobilize support for the Palestinians on social media, said the US resolution is "the latest attempt to shut down the space for Palestinians to advocate for their freedom and rights." The group said it is not part of the BDS movement, but defended the right to call for boycotts.

"By restricting the right to boycott as a form of protest, it aims to delegitimize calls for justice and accountability on Israel," it said.

For over a year, Israel has been working to expel the local director of the international group Human Rights Watch, Omar Shakir, accusing him of promoting boycotts.

The group says that neither it nor Shakir, in his position at Human Rights Watch, has called for a boycott of Israel. It says Shakir, who is a US citizen, is being targeted for the group's opposition to Israel's settlements and its calls for companies to stop working with the settlements.

The deportation issue had been scheduled to go before Israel's Supreme Court this week, but was postponed on Wednesday until September.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said he hopes Israel will use the delay to "reassess" its position.

"Everybody recognizes that what's really at stake here is the ability to engage in human rights advocacy," he said.

He said countries that have tried to bar Human Rights Watch researchers are a "pretty unsavory group" that includes North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Cuba and Venezuela.

"Does Israel really want to join a club like that?" he said. "I don't think so."

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