Brian Mast: Pro-Israel hawk set to lead US House Foreign Policy Committee | Politics news

Washington DC – Palestinian rights advocates in the United States denounced the selection of Republican Congressman Brian Mast to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mast, a pro-Israel hawk known for his inflammatory statements against Palestinians, was nominated Monday by fellow Republicans to be chairman of the influential committee in the next Congress, sparking outrage.

On Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) highlighted Mast’s history of anti-Palestinian statements, including his defamation of civilians and his calls for the destruction of infrastructure. In Gaza.

“Brian Mast may be the ideal person to serve as a spokesman for the Israeli government’s war criminals, but he has no right to conduct congressional hearings on sensitive international issues that affect our nation’s security,” Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. “. statement.

Mast responded to Kerr on Wednesday. “I would be more concerned if they supported me. Pace yourselves and buckle up,” he wrote in a social media post.

To take leadership of the committee, the Florida Republican still must be elected by the full House, where his party holds its votes A slim majority When the new chamber takes office in early January.

If successful, Mast — who wore an Israeli military uniform to the U.S. Capitol last year — would chair the committee that oversees foreign policy legislation.

Mast, a US Army veteran who lost both his legs in an attack in Afghanistan, previously served as a civilian volunteer in the Israeli army.

Comparing the Palestinians to the Nazis

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October last year, Mast has publicly defended Israel’s right to use any means necessary to attack the Palestinian enclave.

Last year, for example, Mast said humanitarian aid to Gaza “must slow down,” despite a crippling Israeli blockade that has caused a deadly famine in the Strip.

The International Criminal Court issued Arrest orders Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant will be tried in November for suspected war crimes, including using hunger as a weapon of war.

Mast also noted that all Palestinians in Gaza are legitimate targets of Israeli violence and starvation.

“I don’t think we would throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ lightly during World War II. It is no exaggeration to say that there are very few innocent Palestinian civilians,” the US congressman said last year.

These statements prompted Democratic Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs to lead an unsuccessful campaign to formally rebuke Mast in the House of Representatives.

“Brian Mast’s comments are incredibly dangerous and dehumanizing as we continue to push for humanitarian access to Palestinians in harm’s way in Gaza and in the shadow of Islamophobia.” Hate crimes Jacobs said in a statement at the time.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, called Mast “the most ruthless and ruthless member of Congress.”

His complete disregard for Palestinian civilians fuels the flames of violence. She told Al Jazeera that his position as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee does not bode well for a foreign policy that strives to protect human life and promote peace.

Benjamin and other activists confronted Mast on Capitol Hill about his views earlier this year. When asked if he had seen pictures of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, the Republican lawmaker replied: “These are not innocent Palestinian civilians.”

Israel has killed at least 44,800 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children, in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to local health authorities.

United Nations experts and Rights groups They have described the Israeli campaign as genocide: an attempt to destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part.

“Ridiculousness and fanaticism”

Mast rejects any criticism directed at Israel by international organizations and the United Nations. He also called for the dissolution of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

Yasmine Tayeb, legislative and policy director at MPower Change, a Muslim American civic engagement group, highlighted Mast’s history of “inflammatory and dehumanizing statements.”

“Mast’s election as the next chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee demonstrates the absolute absurdity and intolerance we should expect from the House GOP next year,” Tayeb told Al Jazeera in a statement.

When asked to comment on the criticism, Mast’s office referred Al Jazeera to the congressman’s response to CAIR on social media.

Critics fear that Mast’s nomination is likely part of a larger trend toward unquestioning support for the Israeli war.

While Democratic President Joe Biden has already provided billions of dollars in unconditional support for Israel, the incoming administration of Republican President Donald Trump It is set to be dominated by more pro-Israel officials.

So Mast may be able to advance foreign policy measures in coordination with allies in the White House. Republicans will also have a majority in the Senate.

Hassan Al-Tayeb, an advocacy organizer for the Friends Committee for National Legislation, a Quaker social justice group, described Mast as one of the “most strident anti-Palestinian voices” in Congress.

He added: “His position, unfortunately, reflects broader sentiments among members of Congress, especially among Republicans, who continue to provide Israel with unconditional arms and military support, despite the Netanyahu government’s violation of US laws and policies through its indiscriminate campaign in Gaza and beyond.” Al-Tayeb told Al Jazeera.

Netanyahu’s office The United States welcomed Mast’s nomination earlier this week, praising the congressman as “a great American patriot and a true friend of Israel.”