Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who was been accused of lying about pulling a fire alarm in a House office building in late September, issued a statement that catalyzed harsh blowback as he targeted Israel, claiming he was stopped at Israeli checkpoints because he wasn’t Jewish.
Speaking on MSNBC, Bowman said, “So we’ve been using a lot of rhetoric about a two-state solution for decades, and when I went there I saw that we are nowhere near a two-state-solution. Myself, as a sitting member of Congress, could not walk through certain checkpoints in the West Bank because I wasn’t Jewish.”
Anti-Israel Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman: "Myself, as a sitting member of Congress, could not walk through certain checkpoints in the West Bank because I wasn't Jewish!" pic.twitter.com/UkqmCFgC0p
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 22, 2023
New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat, begged to differ:
I checked with two people on the same trip and this didn't happen. He traveled with a delegation of American Congressmen.
— NYS Assembly Member Amy Paulin (@AmyPaulin) November 22, 2023
Jamaal Bowman isn’t just lying. He is advancing a false antisemitic libel that is going to rile up a crowd and get someone hurt. Intentional lies about Israel and the Jewish People should find no quarter in the halls of Congress. Send Bowman home! https://t.co/TlEdv19cbh
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) November 22, 2023
Absolute lie by fire alarm pulling criminal on the televised mental institution known as MSNBC. https://t.co/Y9G92RYWCm
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) November 22, 2023
New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, a staunch supporter of Israel, fired back at Bowman, “Jewish checkpoints are as fictional as Jewish space lasers,” prompting leftist J Street president Jeremy Ben Ami to chime in, “I led the trip with @JamaalBowmanNY. It’s a fact: there are checkpoints in Hebron where security separates who can walk where by religion. Other checkpoints keep roads ‘sterile’ of Palestinians. I’ve been there dozens of times. Join me.”
Podcast host Noam Blum then stated bluntly of Ben Ami, “He’s lying. The separation is between Palestinian and Israeli (which includes Israeli Muslims) and foreigners,” then cited a detailed report from Honest Reporting that debunked the charge of “Jews-only roads” in the disputed territories, noting that it was part of the “apartheid” label anti-Semites use to vilify Israel.
Michael Totten explained after antisemitic journalist Helen Thomas had made the charge, “Such roads don’t exist. The roads she’s referring to in the West Bank are Israeli, and they’re not just for Jews. Israeli Arabs can drive on them, and so can non-Jewish foreigners, including Arab and Muslim foreigners. Palestinians were once able to drive on them but have not been allowed to do so since the second intifada, when suicide bombers used them to penetrate Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in order to massacre people.”
Bowman pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm, agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine, serve three months’ probation, and issue a formal apology to the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP).
House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) released a statement in October dismissing Bowman’s explanation of what transpired on September 30, citing findings by law enforcement.
“Rep. Bowman’s excuse does not pass the sniff test. After pulling the fire alarm, Rep. Bowman fled the scene, passed by multiple Capitol Police officers and had every opportunity to alert USCP of his mistake,” Steil said. “I want to thank U.S. Capitol Police for their swift attention to this incident, and encourage the Ethics Committee to further pursue this matter.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this article.
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