George Soros and his son Alex have recently supported Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat congresswoman from Washington state. She has been under fire from her party members for her controversial remarks about Israel, labeling it a “racist state.”
According to campaign finance records inspected by the Washington Free Beacon, both father and son contributed the legal maximum of $6,600 to Jayapal’s campaign in late June. This financial contribution was followed by Jayapal’s comments during a July 15 panel discussion, reassuring Palestinian activists of her view that Israel is a “racist state.” Such remarks were widely criticized by many Democrats who deemed them “dangerous and antisemitic.”
George Soros, originally from Hungary, is a financier known for his substantial donations exceeding $18 billion to progressive causes. Despite being a prominent leftist billionaire, Soros has often been viewed as adversarial towards Israel, funding several organizations with anti-Israel stances, including some questioning Israel’s sovereignty. Soros has also drawn parallels between the conduct of the Jewish state and Nazi Germany, suggesting in a 2003 speech that “victims” had morphed into “victimizers,” as the Wall Street Journal reported.
Both the Soros family and Jayapal declined to comment on these issues.
Through their Open Society Foundations, the Soros family purports to support “vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable and promote participation from all citizens.” Israel, however, is not included in their definition, as the foundations finance several anti-Israel organizations such as J Street.
The Free Beacon reported earlier this year that the Open Society Foundations had collaborated with J Street and other anti-Israel organizations to advocate for lawmakers to restore the Iran nuclear deal.
Last week, Jayapal condemned Israel’s “extreme right-wing government” for implementing “discriminatory and outright racist policies.”
“Extreme racists are steering the policies within the leadership of the current government,” Jayapal stated.
On July 18, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), a member of Jayapal’s “Squad,” voiced her criticism of Israel, branding it an “apartheid state” just before she and other “Squad” members voted against a resolution asserting that Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state.”
Following this, Israeli president Isaac Herzog, in his speech to Congress, criticized U.S. lawmakers who challenged “the state of Israel’s right to exist.” Herzog also identified Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon as “the greatest challenge Israel and the United States face at this time.”
