Maine Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson got himself in hot water yesterday for lecturing his state's tiny Jewish population for not being prepared to use the term "genocide" where it concerns Gaza:
It’s unfortunate that there are people here in Maine that don’t like to use that term only because they’re Jewish and what that means to them with the Holocaust. It fits that description, and it is [a genocide].
Jackson would "apologize" for his remarks today:
I believe what’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and I also understand that word carries particular weight for many Jewish families given the Holocaust—the genocide of six million Jews. In trying to acknowledge that, I misspoke and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers’ views that doesn’t reflect what I meant to say.
Yeah, whatever.
Jews comprise less than 1.5% of the population in Maine. That's fewer than 20,000 people. Jackson knowingly and willingly saw fit to scold and publicly shame Jews in his state for being unwilling to accuse Israel of committing genocide.
Jackson is entitled to his opinion, but he is not entitled to his facts.
To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore Hamas' genocidal intentions and actions.
To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore Hamas imbedding themselves within Gaza's civilian population.
To accuse Israel of genocide is to deliberately not making any distinction between Hamas and the civilian population.
To accuse Israel of genocide is to deliberately ignore Israel's efforts to pour in food aid which is stolen by Hamas.
To accuse Israel of genocide is to willfully ignore the fact that Gaza's population has grown.
It is very clear that Jackson knows nothing about the Holocaust, and I don't think he is willing to learn. A visit to the U.S. Holocaust Museum would be wasted on him.
Troy Jackson isn't interested in the facts where it concerns Israel. He simply wished to pillory Maine's Jewish community.
In so doing, Jackson has given Maine's Jews a reason to vote for Susan Collins.
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