When we discovered that two of New Hampshire’s residents were invited to participate in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Convention in Washington, D.C., which 18,000 pro-Israel delegates from Israel and the U.S. will attend, we decided to contact Rep. Chris Pappas and N.H. State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley to ask them why they were asked to participate.
Our inquiry to Rep. Pappas was sent to his foreign policy adviser, and we asked why he was invited to speak at such an important gathering that will feature Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who once said, “America is an easy thing to move.” And, let’s not forget Netanyahu’s speech before Congress to derail the nuclear deal with Iran. Rep. Pappas has not responded to us.
Moreover, though there will be a good number of Democrats speaking, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it is nearly certain that two new Democrats will be severely vilified for criticizing Israeli policies concerning its brutal military occupation of the West Bank, its ongoing illegal colonization of Palestinian stolen land on which Israeli “settlements” are being built. Actions that are not in America’s best interests.
Buckley did respond. When asked why he was invited, he said, “I do not know how or why they chose to have a panel discussion about the presidential nominating process and hear from the four early states.”
Finally, MoveOn has asked 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to boycott the 2019 AIPAC Conference. We support this action.
WILL and WENDY THOMAS
Auburn