WASHINGTON – An official for an anti-Semitic organization that advocates for the bombing of Israel gave thousands of dollars to Rep. Keith Ellison last year, according to a new report.
Taher Herzallah, the associate director of outreach and grassroots organizing for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), contributed to Ellison’s campaign, the Washington Free Beacon reported. According to campaign disclosure documents, Herzallah donated $2,500 to Ellison in March 2017, weeks after Ellison took over as deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Speaking at a AMP conference in 2014, Herzallah called the Jewish state a “lie” and openly called for violence against Israel.
“Israelis have to be bombed, they are a threat to the legitimacy of Palestine, and it is wrong to maintain the State of Israel,” Herzallah said, according to the Anti-Defamation League. “It is an illegitimate creation born from colonialism and racism.”
In a 2015 speech, Herzallah said he “cannot envision a future” for Palestinians “as long as Zionism exists.”
Herzallah also has a history of disrupting events that acknowledge the Jewish state.
“Herzallah is best known as one of the ‘Irvine 11,’ a group of students who were sentenced to three years probation for actions taken to disrupt a 2010 speech by then-Israeli ambassador Michael Oren,” the Washington Free Beacon reported. “He more recently—just a few weeks before his contribution to Ellison—was arrested for disrupting confirmation hearings for U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman.”
Ellison has previously faced criticism for his ties to anti-Semitic figures. Prior to his time as an elected official, Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, was involved with the Nation of Islam and praised their anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan. Ellison has since distanced himself from the Nation of Islam, however, questions about his anti-Semitic associations continue to haunt him. During the race for DNC Chair, prominent Democrat and Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz wrote a scathing column saying he would “quit the Democratic Party” if Ellison was elected chairman.
Accepting a donation from Herzallah further fuels questions about Ellison’s anti-Semitic associations. However, despite Herzallah’s radical views, Ellison has not indicated any intentions to return the campaign contribution. The DNC has also failed to address the issue.
