Biden Regime’s Combating Antisemitism Strategy Includes Hamas-Linked, Jew-hating CAIR

“I’m not naïve,” Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden regime’s Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism insisted, and she was likely telling the truth. It’s very likely that Lipstadt, and the regime of which she is a part, is something quite a bit worse than naïve. For Lipstadt’s Combating Antisemitism Strategy was launched a few weeks ago at the White House, and it includes the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Is the regime incurably inept and tone-deaf, or so frothing with hatred toward Israel that it includes a fox among those it appoints to guard the henhouse? Probably both.

The White House happily announced that “the Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] will launch a tour to educate religious communities about steps they can take to protect their houses of worship from hate incidents, such as instituting appropriate security measures, developing strong relationships with other faith communities and maintaining open lines of communication with local law enforcement.”
Extensive report details decades of antisemitism at CAIR.

The absurdity of this becomes vividly clear when one recalls that CAIR officials have refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case — so named by the Justice Department. Several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror. What’s more, the Jerusalem Post noted Sunday that “according to an official document of the US Department of Justice in 2013, the FBI cut off ties with CAIR. ‘The guidance specifically stated that, until the FBI could determine whether there continued to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and Hamas, “the FBI does not view CAIR as an appropriate liaison partner” for non-investigative activities,’ the document stated.”

All that is just the beginning. CAIR also “frequently partnered with vehemently anti-Zionist and anti-Israel groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and American Muslims for Palestine, many of whose members employ extreme rhetoric and questionable tactics to demonize Zionism and Zionists and disrupt pro-Israel activity.” In response to all this, however, Lipstadt was reduced to insisting that CAIR’s involvement with the Combating Antisemitism Strategy was peripheral at best: “It had nothing to do with the document itself, nothing to do with the formulation of the policy.” Oh, well, then! Everything’s fine, right? Sure. Imagine if the Biden regime had included the Ku Klux Klan as part of a Combating Racism Strategy, and then responded to criticism by claiming that the Klan was only peripherally involved. That would make everything all right, wouldn’t it?

Lipstadt, however, did her best to downplay the whole thing, claiming that “CAIR was one of the organizations that stepped forward in support and it’s mentioned in the fact sheet, as well as many other organizations.” Oh, so anyone off the street could have joined this initiative? Apparently, but Lipstadt’s disingenuousness here is off the charts. What if the American Freedom Defense Initiative or some other patriotic group that opposes antisemitism had “stepped forward in support”? Would they have been included in the Combating Antisemitism Strategy? As Old Joe Biden would say, Come on, man!

Lipstadt even conceded: “I know CAIR is problematic,” but added that “there are other groups and individuals that have problematic histories that are now talking about antisemitism.” There is, however, problematic and then there’s problematic: clearly, only “problematic” groups that have historically allied with the far Left are welcome.

Blazing forward with her hypocrisy, Lipstadt insisted that Hamas-linked CAIR should be given a chance to make a fresh start: “One can become overly cynical,” she warned, “and say that fighting antisemitism has become this ‘thing’. It’s popular.” That’s actually one thing it is not. But she continued regarding CAIR that “one can also step back and say, Okay, we’re going to judge you by what to say going forward. We’re going to evaluate what you do henceforth.” She claimed that CAIR would be called to account: “I’m not talking about apologies,” but said that CAIR will be asked: “Do you acknowledge that you might have, or might not have, engaged in statements or declarations that were easily and rightfully considered to be antisemitic?” Oh yeah, that’ll fix everything.

“If I put on my Jewish hat,” Lipstadt added, “you and I both come from a tradition that believes in forgiveness.” Here again, such generosity of spirit is extended in only one direction. Neither Lipstadt nor anyone else is talking about “forgiveness” for the regime’s bogeymen, from Donald Trump to “MAGA Republicans” to organizations that oppose antisemitism but are not Leftist. The presence of CAIR as part of the regime’s antisemitism initiative makes it clear that this “Strategy” will soon become a new means to pressure, demonize and harass Israel as the putative cause of antisemitism. The fox will clear up the henhouse’s troubles in no time.