Almost all of Gaza ‘totally and completely uninhabitable’ – Day 264

The Intercept reports: Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Tuesday upset defeat by Westchester County Executive George Latimer generated many perspectives on what exactly precipitated his downfall.

The New York Times published the headline “Bowman Falls in House Primary, Overtaken by Flood of Pro-Israel Money” — before swapping it out for “Bowman Falls to Latimer in a Loss for Progressive Democrats.” Other coverage claimed that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s spending wasn’t the only factor in the race and that Bowman’s flaws made him particularly vulnerable, as did changed district lines that made his reelection even tougher.

Progressive strategists, however, had a much more clear takeaway from the results.

“You don’t drop $15 million on an election if your positions are popular,” said Eva Borgwardt⁩, national spokesperson for the Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow, which endorsed Bowman. “This was an act of desperation from a pro-war lobby that is at odds with the majority of Americans, including American Jews.”

[Pew: Only 33% of Jewish American adults believe that Israel’s military actions are unacceptable. “89% of Jewish Americans say Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas are valid – far more than the 58% of all U.S. adults who say this.” ]

Borgwardt⁩ was referring to nearly $15 million spent on the race by AIPAC, the Israel lobby’s flagship in the U.S. Millions more poured in from AIPAC-aligned groups and donors, bringing the outside spending total to around $25 million.

“Congressman Bowman’s progressive platform — which includes defending Palestinian rights and halting weapons to the Israeli military — is popular among Democratic voters,” said Beth Miller, political director for Jewish Voice for Peace Action, which endorsed Bowman. “AIPAC had to spend a truly unprecedented amount of money in order to buy NY-16.”

“It is noteworthy that many of AIPAC’s ads did not even mention Israel,” she said. “AIPAC understands that they are losing on the issues, because voters and constituents do not want to fund a genocide.”  

The amount of spending on the race should be alarming to everyone who cares about democracy, said Sophie Ellman-Golan, director of strategic communications at Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

“Now we know how much it costs to buy an election,” she said. “That price tag was nearly $25 million.”

(Read the full article here.)

BDS win – Norwegian fund drops stake in US construction giant Caterpillar over Palestinian home demolitions:

The Cradle reports: Norway’s largest private pension fund, Kommunal Landspensjonskasse Gjensidig Forsikringsselska (KLP), has dropped its $69 million stake in US construction giant Caterpillar Inc, citing “concerns” the company is contributing to the destruction of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.

“Although Caterpillar has shown itself willing to engage in a dialogue with KLP, the company’s responses failed to credibly substantiate its ability to actually reduce the risk of violating the rights of individuals in situations of war or conflict, or of violating international law,” Kiran Aziz, the firm’s head of responsible investments, told Bloomberg.

She also cited allegations that Caterpillar equipment is being used by the Israeli army in Gaza.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights last week named Caterpillar among several corporations supplying Israel with military equipment and urged investors with stakes in these companies to “take action.”

The Israeli military killed 23-year-old American Rachel Corrie with a caterpillar tractor in 2003.

NOTE: According to OCHA, Israeli forces have demolished at least 565 structures in the West Bank so far in 2024, displacing over 1,000 Palestinians. In Gaza, more than 60% of residential structures and 80% of commercial structures have been demolished since October 7th.

House demolitions are not a recent development but an enduring chapter imprinted into the region since 1967, when Israel annexed the West Bank and began its military occupation. Home demolitions are a trademark of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions reports that Israel has demolished more than 56,500 Palestinian homes since 1967. The consequences of such actions reverberate far beyond the physical rubble, as it intensifies human suffering, loss, and resilience.

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