Those angered by U.S. Senator Cory Booker at the rally with some attendees calling for groups labeled as terrorists were few. The entire circus blew up even more when yakoby-Eyal, one of the most vocal dissenters, tweeted at Booker, asking how he could attend the rally knowing that one of his constituents- Edan Alexander-was being held hostage by the militants. The tweet got traction, and the subsequent flare of online activity had some strong reactions that ranged from outraged indignation to strong support for the senator.
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In his tweet, Yakoby asked why Booker would lend himself to groups standing for those ‘allegedly’ holding Alexander. This line of inquiry included an image of the rally goers-with signs reading ‘Free Palestine’-which Yakoby took to mean support for terrorism. The post was quickly ‘lit up’ with comments on both sides transforming into a field of battle for foreign policy, human rights, and national priorities.
Some of the angriest counter-responses were issued by Sterling Silva, who was accusing Booker and the Democrats of placing ‘terrorists and illegal criminals’ over safety for Americans. It was a classic point of contention for conservativism and featured within a wider criticism of progressive policy. On the other hand, there were counter-arguments from another user called LA Abe, who said that ‘However, supporting Palestinian rights does not mean supporting terrorism.’ The responses delivered evidence that shows how polarized the Israel-Palestine dossier has become within American politics.
Some other detractors, like Jake Burnstein, went straight for the jugular calling Booker ‘a lazy and narcissistic race baiter,’ while others like Teagan offered the Tel Aviv protests as evidence that not all Israelis agree with the actions of their government and that opposing Israeli policies cannot be considered antisemitism. As usual, both extremes filled the thread with accusations. Vivek Mathur branded Yakoby as ‘a traitor supporting genocide’ over his views regarding Israel.
There were some oddly almost surreal twists to the entire debate, as one poster sarcastically suggested that ‘Free Palestine’ signs now resemble the definition of terrorism. Few expressions were left untouched when another poster turned the mirror on Israel, the so-called angel; “When Karim Al Sharif says otherwise, it’d be another tale,” touted the other. The debate has therefore found its way into the emotionally charged realm, with barely any traces of compromise in their wake.
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Officially, Booker is yet to counter with anything that can be construed as a public response to the outcries, which has allowed the online discourse to escalate unchecked. The question is whether this event will have ramifications in terms of politics for a while to come; however, it definitely stirs up the discussion concerning where American politicians will draw the line in their advocacy. The fate of Edan Alexander-and the fate of this whole kerfuffle-is still uncertain, and social media is what remains the battlefield for this ideological clash.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
