Washington, DC – Palestinian rights advocates in america are denouncing the number of Republican Congressman Brian Mast to guide the Home International Affairs Committee.
Mast, a pro-Israel hawk recognized for his incendiary remarks about Palestinians, was nominated on Monday by fellow Republicans to be the chair of the influential panel within the incoming Congress, sparking outrage.
On Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) highlighted Mast’s historical past of anti-Palestinian statements, together with his vilification of civilians and his name for destroying infrastructure in Gaza.
“Brian Mast is likely to be the right particular person to function a spokesperson for the battle criminals of the Israeli authorities, however he has no enterprise working congressional hearings on delicate worldwide points that affect our nation’s safety,” CAIR authorities affairs director Robert McCaw stated in a statement.
Mast hit again at CAIR on Wednesday. “I’d be extra involved in the event that they have been supporting me. Tempo yourselves and buckle up,” he wrote in a social media publish.
To imagine management of the committee, the Florida Republican nonetheless must be elected by the total Home, the place his get together holds a thin majority when the brand new chamber takes workplace early in January.
If profitable, Mast — who wore an Israeli military uniform to the US Capitol final yr — will preside over the panel that oversees laws associated to international coverage.
Mast, a US military veteran who misplaced his legs in an assault in Afghanistan, has beforehand served as a civilian volunteer within the Israeli army.
Evaluating Palestinians to Nazis
For the reason that begin of Israel’s battle in Gaza in October final yr, Mast has publicly defended Israel’s proper to make use of any means essential to assault the Palestinian enclave.
Final yr, for instance, Mast stated humanitarian support to Gaza “must be slowed down”, regardless of a suffocating Israeli siege that has triggered lethal hunger within the enclave.
The Worldwide Prison Courtroom (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November for suspected battle crimes, together with using starvation as a weapon of battle.
Mast has additionally steered that every one Palestinians in Gaza are authentic targets for Israeli violence and hunger.
“I don’t suppose we might so flippantly throw across the time period ‘harmless Nazi civilians’ throughout World Battle II. It isn’t a far stretch to say there are only a few harmless Palestinian civilians,” the US congressman stated final yr.
The remarks prompted Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs to guide an unsuccessful push to formally rebuke Mast within the Home.
“Brian Mast’s feedback are extremely harmful and dehumanizing as we proceed to push for humanitarian support to succeed in Palestinians in hurt’s means in Gaza and as Islamophobic hate crimes rise,” Jacobs stated in a press release at the moment.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the antiwar group Code Pink, described Mast because the “most merciless, heartless member of Congress”.
“His whole disregard for Palestinian civilians followers the flames of violence. His place as chair of the International Affairs Committee bodes ailing for a international coverage that strives to guard human life and promote peace,” she advised Al Jazeera.
Benjamin and different activists confronted Mast on Capitol Hill about his views earlier this yr. When requested whether or not he has seen photos of Palestinian kids killed by Israel, the Republican legislator responded: “These usually are not harmless Palestinian civilians.”
Israel has killed no less than 44,800 Palestinians, together with greater than 17,000 kids, in Gaza because the begin of the battle, based on native well being authorities.
United Nations consultants and rights groups have described the Israeli marketing campaign as a genocide: an effort to destroy the Palestinian individuals in entire or partially.
‘Absurdity and fanaticism’
Mast rejects any criticism towards Israel by worldwide teams and the UN. He has additionally referred to as for disbanding the UN company for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Yasmine Taeb, the legislative and political director at MPower Change, a Muslim American civic engagement group, highlighted Mast’s historical past of “inflammatory and dehumanizing remarks”.
“Mast’s election as the subsequent Chair of the International Affairs Committee simply reveals the utter absurdity and fanaticism we should always anticipate from the Home GOP subsequent yr,” Taeb advised Al Jazeera in a press release.
When requested for remark concerning the criticism, Mast’s workplace referred Al Jazeera to the congressman’s response to CAIR on social media.
Critics worry Mast’s nomination is probably going half of a bigger pattern in the direction of unquestioning help for Israel’s battle.
Whereas Democratic President Joe Biden has already supplied billions of {dollars} in unconditional help to Israel, the incoming administration of Republican President Donald Trump is about to be dominated by much more staunchly pro-Israel officers.
So Mast could possibly push international coverage measures in coordination with allies on the White Home. Republicans may even have a majority within the Senate.
Hassan el-Tayyab, an advocacy organiser on the Buddies Committee on Nationwide Laws, a Quaker social justice group, referred to as Mast one of many “most ferociously anti-Palestinian voices” in Congress.
“His place sadly displays a broader sentiment amongst too many Congress members who proceed to provide unconditional weapons and army help to Israel, regardless of the Netanyahu authorities violating numerous US legal guidelines and insurance policies by way of its indiscriminate army marketing campaign in Gaza and past,” el-Tayyab advised Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu’s office welcomed Mast’s nomination earlier this week, hailing the congressman as a “nice American patriot and a real good friend of Israel”.
