George Soros and his son Alex sent maximum contributions to liberal Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who has faced intense criticism from fellow Democrats in recent days for slandering Israel as a "racist state."
Both Soroses sent Jayapal $6,600 in late June, the maximum amount an individual can give to a candidate in an election cycle, campaign finance disclosures reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show. Just two weeks later, during a July 15 panel discussion, Jayapal assured Palestinian activists that she’s "been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state." Dozens of Jayapal’s fellow Democrats condemned the comments as "dangerous and antisemitic."
George Soros, a Hungarian-born financier who has donated more than $18 billion to liberal causes, has centered much of his personal story on his flight from Nazi-occupied Budapest. But the left-wing billionaire is hardly a friend of the Jewish State, bankrolling a litany of anti-Israel nonprofits, including some that deny Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation. Soros has also likened the Jewish state’s behavior to that of Nazi Germany, arguing in a 2003 address that "victims" had become "victimizers," according to the Wall Street Journal.
Neither the Soroses nor Jayapal returned requests for comment.
Through their Open Society Foundations, the Soroses claim to champion "vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people." They do not include Israel in that definition, funding a host of anti-Israel groups and organizations including J Street.
Earlier this year, the Free Beacon found that the Open Society Foundations joined forces with J Street and other anti-Israel groups to lobby lawmakers to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
Jayapal last week attempted to walk back her characterization of Israel as a "racist state," though her clarification blasted Israel's "extreme right-wing government" for engaging "in discriminatory and outright racist policies."
"There are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government," Jayapal said.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), one of Jayapal's fellow "Squad" members, on July 18 went on to denounce Israel as an "apartheid state" moments before she and other "Squad" members voted against a resolution that said Israel "is not a racist or apartheid state." One day later, Israeli president Isaac Herzog in an address to Congress blasted U.S. lawmakers who oppose "the state of Israel's right to exist." Herzog also called Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon "the greatest challenge Israel and the United States face at this time."
"Vilifying and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the United States, or anywhere else in the world, is anti-Semitism," Herzog said to wide applause. "Anti-Semitism is a disgrace in every form."