The Republican Jewish Coalition lambasted President Joe Biden Thursday, after he signed an executive order imposing sanctions on four Israeli Jews from Judea and Samaria for allegedly being involved in violent attacks, including incidents of stone-throwing, against Palestinian Arabs.
The order bars David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, and Yinon Levi from entering the United States, and orders all American financial institutions to freeze assets owned by the four.
President Biden unveiled the order during a visit to Michigan Thursday, during which he faced protests from Arab-American residents.
Hours later, the RJC issued a statement castigating the White House for the order, accusing Biden of making a political play to mollify the left-wing of the Democratic party and win back Arab voters, in particular in Michigan, a swing-state where Arabs make up roughly 5% of the population.
“This executive order is about cold, calculated politics – plain and simple,” the RJC said, calling the move “a disgrace.”
“Joe Biden and his team are watching his poll numbers crater. Today he traveled to the key battleground state of Michigan, home of the largest Arab-American population in the United States, desperate for some sort of political ‘win’ with his fervently anti-Israel base in the Democratic Party.”
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“Biden has to know that this executive order will be taken by many as suggesting a moral equivalence between Hamas terrorists, who massacred, raped, and kidnapped defenseless civilians, and a small number of Israelis whose reported actions are investigated and prosecuted where appropriate by the authorities.”
“This first-of-its-kind executive order sends precisely the wrong message at absolutely the worst time, emboldening the terrorists and undermining the Jewish state. Joe Biden has needlessly damaged the US-Israel alliance yet again.”
The RJC’s Democratic counterpart, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, did not issue a direct statement defending Biden’s executive order, though the JDCA’s Twitter account retweeted Biden’s statement on the sanctions.
“The Biden White House could not be more supportive of Israel & efforts to bring about regional security,” Soifer tweeted.
“One element of this policy has been staunchly supporting Israel’s actions against Hamas, which the US Treasuryhas sanctioned 5 times since Oct 7.”
“Another element is sanctioning Israeli extremists who perpetrate violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, undermining prospects for security and peace. POTUS
stands with innocent Israelis & Palestinians, and Jewish Americans stand with POTUS
