{"id":589,"date":"2020-08-14T11:11:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T15:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taliforda.com\/?post_type=new&p=589"},"modified":"2020-08-20T13:14:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T17:14:51","slug":"manhattan-da-candidate-denounces-socialist-group","status":"publish","type":"new","link":"https:\/\/www.taliforda.com\/zh-hans\/new\/manhattan-da-candidate-denounces-socialist-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Manhattan DA candidate denounces socialist group for \u2018no travel to Israel\u2019 pledge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The NYC Democratic Socialists of America are calling on political candidates not to travel to Israel, prompting a flood of outrage and criticism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The request appears in a candidate questionnaire the\u00a0NYC-DSA<\/a> sent to 2021 City Council candidates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cDo you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to City Council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation?\u201d the questionnaire states, going on to acknowledge that the Council has absolutely no say over foreign policy matters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The premise of the question, which was first reported by\u00a0NY1<\/a>, quickly drew the ire of city elected officials, candidates running for office and political observers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo let me get this straight. Per this questionnaire it would be ok for me to travel to Iran, the country of my birth, which hangs men for being gay and may stone women for adultery, but not to Israel,\u201d\u00a0tweeted Manhattan DA candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis questionnaire tells Jewish people seeking public office not to travel to their spiritual and cultural homeland,\u201d she added. \u201cOnly Jews, nobody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Farhadian Weinstein<\/strong> went on to urge her opponents in the Manhattan DA\u2019s race to join her in denouncing the question\u2019s intent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe DSA questions singling out Israel \u2014 and seeking to discourage travel experiences that deepen understanding of a complex situation \u2014 are simply wrong,\u201d tweeted Alvin Bragg, who\u2019s also running for DA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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City Councilman Mark Levine<\/a>\u00a0also slammed it, likening it to a litmus test to gain DSA support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWant to visit any of dozens of oppressive regimes around the world? No problem,\u201d he tweeted. \u201cWant to travel to the world\u2019s only majority Jewish county? You won\u2019t get the DSA\u2019s endorsement. Outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The increasingly popular, yet controversial DSA has had a string of political victories of late. It helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get elected, and more recently backed Marcela Mitaynes in her victorious run against longtime incumbent Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and Phara Souffrant Forrest in her win over Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sumathy Kumar, co-chair of NYC-DSA, posted a statement on social media, but did not directly address criticisms that its question singles out Israel over other countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPalestinians have lived under military occupation and siege, been displaced from their homes and denied freedom of movement for decades,\u201d Kumar said. \u201cGiven that there has been an explicit call from Palestinians to not go on such government junkets and to put pressure on Israel to end the occupation and discrimination through boycott, divestment and sanctions, we asked prospective candidates whether they would respect that call.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The group added that it is \u201c\u2018no way opposed\u201d to personal trips to Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Tali was also featured in the following publications:<\/h4>\n