A US congressman has withdrawn his support for a bill promoting the expansion of the normalization of ties between Israel and Arab countries.
New York Representative Jamaal Bowman announced dropping his co-sponsorship of the Israel Relations Normalization Act, also known as HR2748 , according to the New York-based daily news website TAG 24.
The bill promotes the creation of a strategy to strengthen the former US President Donald Trump-era so-called “Abraham Accords” to establish relations between Israel and Sudan, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.
After expressing his initial support, Bowman will eventually vote “no” on the bill when it is brought to the House floor, though his vote is not likely to impact the result.
In a letter to his constituents, Bowman said he first supported the bill “as an opportunity to make progress toward justice and healing in the Middle East as well as a path to a two state solution.” But he changed his mind and decided to walk back his support, explaining that “My experience on the ground and further conversation with constituents led me to see that it is not the right step to fulfill these goals,” he continued.
“Furthermore, I became aware that the deals that this bill supports and seeks to pursue, have included deals at odds with human rights and safety for everyday people in the region.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group welcomed Bowman’s step, but said that he has still a lot to do when it comes to taking a principled stance on Palestine.
“Jamaal Bowman NY’s removal of his sponsorship of HR 2748 was the right thing to do, but there is a lot of dishonest spin happening in @DemSocialists that is doing far more harm than good,” DSA BDS and Palestine Solidarity tweeted.
“He should have never been on the bill in the first place. Him removing sponsorship was the right thing, but he is still below the floor with regards to taking a principled stance on Palestine. The absolute floor is meeting the standards we laid out in our call for expulsion,” it added.
In November 2021, DSA BDS and Palestine Solidarity slammed Bowman for taking part in a J Street-sponsored trip to Israel, during which the visiting US delegation was thanked for “supporting the replenishment of ]Israel’s[ Iron Dome missile defense system.”
The group condemned Bowman’s actions at the time and demanded that the National Political Committee (NPC) hold him accountable to DSA’s principles, policies, and resolutions, including on Palestine and BDS.
“These actions are completely out of line with DSA’s principles, policies and resolutions, which call for active support of the BDS movement. DSA must continue to unequivocally stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in opposition to colonialism, imperialism, and racism in all their various forms. Voting to send additional military funds to an apartheid, settler-colonial state and following that up with a luxurious trip to the region where the vast majority of Palestinians are barred from entry is antithetical to DSA’s aforementioned values.”
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)