WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Parallels between Palestinian resistance to Zionist regime’s occupation with black Americans fighting for civil rights in the U.S. were made by American Congressman Andre Carson in a recent interview with the Haaretz.
The Representative from Indiana, one of only four Muslims ever elected to Congress, described how his support for Palestinians is rooted in his experience as a black person growing up in America and spoke at length about the racism he saw during his three visits to the occupied territories.
“I’ve been arrested outside a mosque. I know what it’s like to be in handcuffs and targeted and profiled,” he said, noting how his empathy for Palestinians in particular is largely drawn from his experiences as a Black American. “I’ve experienced this daily as a young, Black male in my community — being stopped and asked for ID and called the N-word. I’ve had guns drawn on me unnecessarily. I know what this feels like.”
Speaking about the recent Zionist aggression on Gaza which led to the death of more than 250 Palestinians, Carson said that he was “heartbroken”. In May, The 46-year-old announced to the House floor: “For too long, America has looked the other way as Israel has engaged in this horrific campaign against Palestinians.” He added that he “rose in solidarity with the Palestinian people as they face grave injustices, violence and abuse.”
Carson has been at the frontlines of the unprecedented wave of progressive criticism of the Zionist regime. He was one of several Democrat members of Congress to support a bill that aims to regulate U.S. aid to the Zionist regime. Some $3.8 billion is sent to the regime annually making it the highest recipient of American tax-payers money in history. The draft bill sought to prevent the occupying regime using American tax dollars to target Palestinian children.
On the new Zionist cabinet Carson expressed pessimism, saying, “You can paint a car. If you haven’t done a tune up, had an oil change, rotated the tires, it may take you up the street but it will eventually break down. It’s still the same car with poor maintenance, and the passengers will suffer.”
“Given the new leadership’s record, we could see a continuation of the same atrocities of the past 13 years and the past several decades.”
On the ongoing U.S. support for the Zionist regime despite the demolition of Palestinian homes and ethnic cleansing of occupied East al-Quds, Carson said: “This is a global matter that cannot continue with business as usual”.
“We’re talking about billions of dollars in foreign aid every year that has essentially become a blank check. That is unacceptable as America continues to suffer economically and educationally, and as the racial divide grows daily.”