Rep. Susan Wild (D., Pa.), who has called herself a "very pro-Israel member of Congress," touts an endorsement on her campaign website from a Muslim civil rights group that has called Israel an "apartheid state" and blamed it for provoking Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Alongside trade unions, pro-abortion groups, and Jewish organizations, Wild lists on her endorsements page Emgage Action, which has promoted the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. After Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 Israelis, Emgage condemned "all attacks on civilians" but asserted that "Israel’s brutal siege" of Palestine was the "root" cause of onslaught. Last month, Emgage boycotted a White House Ramadan dinner along with other Muslim groups, citing "discontent" with President Joe Biden’s policies during the Israel-Hamas war.
Wild, who is perhaps best known for phoning into a campaign Zoom call while driving, cites the endorsement from Emgage as she faces off against Republican state representative Ryan Mackenzie in one of the country’s most competitive House races.
It’s not the first time Wild has cozied up to anti-Israel groups while portraying herself as a stalwart defender of Israel. In 2019, she appeared at the annual fundraiser for the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent anti-Israel group with extensive links to Hamas, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Wild spoke at the event alongside Marc Lamont Hill, a former CNN pundit who was fired months earlier for statements in support of the eradication of Israel. Like Emgage, CAIR has blamed Israel for sparking Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion. And CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said in November that he was "happy to see" Hamas attack the Jewish state.
Wild is one of several Democrats who have tried to straddle the line on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attack. President Biden has sought to assuage both Muslim and Jewish groups upset over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. He gave a speech Tuesday on the rise of anti-Semitism at college protests against Israel. But he has also dispatched his White House and campaign aides to meet with pro-Hamas activists in Michigan, a swing-state that Democrats see as crucial to winning in November.
Wild’s campaign and Emgage Action did not respond to requests for comment.
Other Democrats have faced scrutiny over ties to Emgage Action. In 2021, Republicans stalled the nomination of Dilawar Syed to serve as deputy director of the Small Business Administration over his position on Emgage’s board of directors. Syed was ultimately confirmed by the Senate in 2022, becoming the highest-ranking Muslim to serve in the administration.