SWC Condemns Anti-Israel Statement Made by Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA)

The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemns in the strongest terms the tirade by Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) in which he called Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria “termites.”

Congressman Johnson was speaking on Monday to a meeting of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, an anti-Israel organization that supports that global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to destroy Israel by delegitimizing it in the mind of popular opinion. He also lamented the “Jewish people” who were “stealing” the land and property of Palestinians.

“Referring to those you don’t like as sub-human should be beyond the pale in decent human society,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “Mr. Johnson shames not only himself, but Congress, and the House Armed Services Committee on which he serves, which is entrusted with the responsibility of keeping our brave men and women in the military safe.”

“Mr. Johnson’s sad performance at least helps the rest of us understand both the desperation and failed intellect of the BDS movement,” added Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, the Center’s Director of Interfaith Affairs. “The audience applauded the vicious words of a person best known to America for telling the Commander of the Pacific Fleet that Guam was so overpopulated that he feared it would tip over and capsize. In 2014, congressional staffers voted Mr. Johnson, 'Worst Speaker' and 'Most Clueless' on their biennial, "Best & Worst of Congress" list.

"At least Mr. Johnson provides his constituents with some continuity. He succeeded Cynthia McKinney, the notorious anti-Semite, to his congressional position. Earlier this week McKinney blamed Israel for the Islamist terror attacks in Nice and Munich,” Adlerstein added.

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Palatino).