In May 2018, during a sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia Democratic Senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock claimed Israel shot unarmed Palestinians like "birds of prey" following violent protests after the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem resulting in the deaths of 58 Palestinians:
It’s been a tough week. The administration opened up the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Standing there [were] the president’s family and a few mealy-mouthed evangelical preachers who are responsible for the mess that we found ourselves in, both there and here — misquoting and misinterpreting the Scripture, talking about peace.
Meanwhile, young Palestinian sisters and brothers, who are struggling for their very lives, struggling for water and struggling for their human dignity, stood up in a non-violent protest, saying, ‘If we’re going to die, we’re going to die struggling.'
Yes, there may have been some folk who were violent, but we oughta know how that works out.
We know what it’s like to stand up and have a peaceful demonstration and have the media focus on a few violent uprisings. But you have to look at those Palestinian sisters and brothers, who are struggling for their human dignity and they have a right to self-determination, they have a right to breathe free …
We saw the government of Israel shoot down unarmed Palestinian sisters and brothers like birds of prey. And I don’t care who does it, it is wrong. It is wrong to shoot down God’s children like they don’t matter at all. And it’s no more anti-Semitic for me to say that than it is anti-white for me to say that black lives matter. Palestinian lives matter.
Where do I begin?
Well, for starters, relocating the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been longstanding U.S. policy - a policy supported by President-Elect Joe Biden. Why Warnock would characterize longstanding U.S. policy as "a tough week" is at the very least peculiar.
Second, the notion the demonstration by Palestinians was peaceful and that they were unarmed is sheer fantasy. As the AP noted at the time, "Throughout the day, Gaza protesters set tires ablaze, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops across the border." Warnock's claim that Israel wantonly shot and killed unarmed Palestinians is an outright lie.
Third, in the months leading up to the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Palestinians in Gaza had been protesting the joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade which has been in place since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. Indeed, these violent protests occurred on a weekly basis until they were scaled back in December 2019. This is well worth mentioning because Warnock claims criticizing Israel does not make him anti-Semitic. But it does when he fails to mention Palestinians were also protesting against the Egyptian government much less condemn violence committed by Egyptian forces against Palestinians. In proclaiming Palestinian lives matter, Warnock also fails to say that Jewish lives matter. This speaks volumes.
In view of these facts, I cannot in good conscience cast a ballot for Warnock. None of this means I intend to cast a ballot for Kelly Loeffler. Her and David Perdue's baseless call for fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger to resign earlier this week because Trump failed to win Georgia makes her come off like she's entitled to the public office and its trappings.
Yet as much as I do not want Republicans to retain control of the Senate, I will not vote for a man who willfully promotes hatred against Israel. Given how poorly Democrats did in down ballot races it would behoove them to seek out better candidates.
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