Brian Mast: Pro-Israel hawk to head US House foreign policy panel | Political Affairs

Washington, DC – Advocates for Palestinian rights in America are criticizing the selection of Republican Congressman Brian Mast to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mast, a pro-Israel hawk known for his harsh rhetoric about the Palestinians, was nominated Monday by Republicans to chair a powerful panel in the upcoming Congress, sparking outrage.

On Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) highlighted Mast’s history of anti-Palestinian statements, including his insults to civilians and his call to destroy infrastructure in Gaza.

“Brian Mast may be the right person to be the spokesman for the war criminals of the Israeli government, but he has no business listening to congressional briefings on critical international issues affecting our national security,” CAIR government affairs director Robert McCaw said in a statement. statement.

Mast returned to CAIR on Wednesday. “I would be very worried if they supported me. Go and bind each other,” he wrote on social media.

To take over the committee leadership, the Florida Republican still needs to be elected by the full House, where his party holds a slim majority when the new chamber takes office in early January.

If successful, Mast – who wore an Israeli military uniform to the US Capitol last year – will chair a panel that oversees legislation related to foreign policy.

Mast, a US Army veteran who broke his legs during an attack in Afghanistan, has served as an unarmed volunteer in the Israeli army.

Comparing the Palestinians to the Nazis

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began 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 “should be reduced”, despite Israel’s heavy siege that has resulted in a deadly famine in the area.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November on charges of war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon of war.

Mast also suggested that all Palestinians in Gaza are legitimate victims of Israeli violence and starvation.

“I don’t think we can easily discard the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II.” It is not easy to say that very few Palestinians are innocent,” said a US congressman last year.

These comments prompted Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs to lead an unsuccessful campaign to formally censure Mast in the House.

“Brian Mast’s comments are incredibly dangerous and dehumanizing as we continue to seek aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza at a dangerous rate and as anti-Islamic hate crimes increase,” Jacobs said in a statement at the time.

Medea Benjamin, founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, described Mast as a “brutal, heartless member of Congress”.

“His disregard for Palestinian citizens is fueling the flames of violence. His position as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee shows that he is not in line with a foreign policy that strives to protect people’s lives and promote peace,” he told Al Jazeera.

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 citizens.”

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

United Nations experts and rights groups have described Israel’s campaign as genocide: an attempt to destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part.

‘Foolishness and fanaticism’

Mast rejected any criticism of Israel by international groups and the UN. He also called for the dissolution of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

Yasmine Taeb, legal and political director at MPower Change, an American Muslim group, highlighted Mast’s history of “inflammatory and dehumanizing remarks”.

“The selection of Mast as the next Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee shows the stupidity and bigotry we should expect from the House GOP next year,” Taeb told Al Jazeera in a statement.

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

Critics fear that Mast’s appointment may be part of a larger pattern of unquestioning support for Israel’s war effort.

Although Democratic President Joe Biden has already provided billions of dollars in unconditional support to Israel, the incoming presidency of Republican President Donald Trump is expected to be run by the most staunch pro-Israel officials.

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

Hassan el-Tayyab, advocacy organizer at the Friends of the National Legislation Committee, a Quaker social justice group, called Mast one of the “most abusive voices of Palestinians” in Congress.

“His position unfortunately reflects the broader sentiment among many members of Congress who continue to provide unconditional arms and military support to Israel, despite the fact that the Netanyahu government is violating many US laws and policies with its indiscriminate military campaign in Gaza and beyond,” el-Tayyab told. Al Jazeera.

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