Tell AIPAC: Condemn the Violence the Jewish Defense League (JDL) Committed on Your Doorstep
Target: Howard Kohr, Executive Director of AIPAC
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On Sunday, March 26, members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) attacked peaceful protesters outside of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Annual Policy Conference. The JDL repeatedly rushed the crowd unprovoked and verbally harassed protesters. They used flags to violently beat people, giving Ben Doernberg (an IfNotNow member) a concussion and sending Kamal Nayfeh, a Palestinian man, to the hospital.
There are numerous eyewitness reports of AIPAC members shaking hands with and vocalizing support for the JDL. Moreover, the JDL publicly announced that their demonstration was in support of AIPAC.
AIPAC therefore must take responsibility for the JDL violence and condemn it. Until this moment, AIPAC leadership has been silent.
AIPAC has spent a lot of time and resources courting progressives into its camp. If that effort was truly more than empty rhetoric, AIPAC must condemn the racist nationalism of the JDL, itself part of a growing network of right-wing terror organizations being reignited by the rise of Trump.
Our community can and must do better.
What is the JDL?
Since 2001, the JDL has been considered by the US government to be a "right-wing terrorist group." The Southern Poverty Law Center lists it as a radical organization that has “orchestrated countless terrorist attacks in the U.S. and abroad.” It attacks and demonizes Arabs, Muslims, and Jews. The JDL believes that Palestinians have no legitimate claims to the land in Israel/Palestine, while its founder, Meir Kahane, went on to create Kach, a political party in Israel that was banned on the grounds of incitement to racism. They have recently re-emerged in the United States following the election of Donald Trump.
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To:
Howard Kohr, Executive Director of AIPAC
From:
[Your Name]
I am calling on AIPAC to publicly condemn the violence that occurred on their doorstep in the name of supporting them. I demand that AIPAC begin a full investigation on policy conference attendees to identify those who gave support for JDL and ensure that they are prohibited from attending future AIPAC events.
