Georgia rep calls Israelis ‘termites’

A Democratic member of Congress on Monday compared Jews who live in communities located beyond Israel’s 1967 lines to “termites.”

During a speech at an anti-Israel event in Philadelphia, site of the Democratic National Convention, Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson said that “there has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever-increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming.”

Johnson spoke at an event hosted by the U.S Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Following the report and a request from the Anti-Defamation League to retract his statement, Johnson tweeted, “Poor choice of words — apologies for offense. Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution.”

The National Jewish Democratic Council argued that Johnson’s apology fell short, tweeting at the lawmaker, “@RepHankJohnson, To refer to Jews as ‘termites’ is deeply offensive and dehumanizing. Not just a ‘poor choice of words.’ It’s dangerous.”

Johnson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that rather than directly describing Israeli settlers as termites, his initial comments had referred to “corrosive settlement policies” that “undermine the ability of all citizens in the region to enjoy healthy, peaceful lives in safe communities.”

In his speech at the Philadelphia event, Johnson said that Jews are appropriating land that belonged to Palestinian “ancestors.” He also compared Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“The fact is the Israeli government, which is the most right-wing government ever to exist in the state of Israel in its history … you got a guy like Trump who is now the minister of defense in Israel calling the shots on defense,” Johnson said. — JNS.org