on this phone the days are 226, the bill is passed. host: good morning it is friday november 3, yesterday that house passed a bill to send aid to

israel. it comes with budget cuts to irs enforcement. a report assess the overall measure would add 27 million to the deficit. what do you think of the gop bill to support israel? democrats (202) 748-8000, republicans (202) 748-8001 and independents (202) 748-8002 you can text us (202) 748-8003 and we are on social media facebook.com/cspan. welcome to today's to our washington journal. about the house, here is the headline from the hill.com about her topic today which is the house approved 14.3 billion

israel aid package. house republicans approved the 14 .3 billion package for israel setting the stage for a show down with democrats in the senate who have savaged the bill for cutting irs coffers. the 226 was entirely down party lines with democrats joining to republicans. this legislation before us would provide 14.3 billion in aid to israel. this is a significant supplemental which includes funding for ammunition procurement funding for military

financing, evacuations support for billion for the sling defense system and 38 point 6 million for air force procurement. this bill is necessary for our closest allies in the middle east which is why i urge my colleagues to join us in passing this critical aid and share our support for this beacon of hope and freedom in the middle east. we cannot let our differences divide us on this critical issue. we cannot allow the bright candle of democracy to be does -- extinguish. we cannot allow israel to lose. this is not conditioning aid, is paying for it. my democratic colleagues don't understand that we cannot continue to borrow and print money at every opportunity.

we have a debt that is approaching $34 trillion. it costs money and we have to pay for it. so, to oppose this because you don't like the fact that there is an offset is absurd. host: we are taking your calls this morning on the gop house bill that passed yesterday for 14.3 and israel aid coupled with irs cuts to their budget. i just wanted to show you this article to make sure you are aware, this is the wall street journal below the fold and it says the walker group, the russian paramilitary organization plans to provide air defense to hezbollah -- citing intelligence.

it uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns to intercept aircraft. one u.s. official said washington has not confirmed that the system has been sent, but officials are monitoring discussions with wagoner and has bella in the delivery is a major concern. back to our topic of this bill that passed yesterday here is the top democrat on the house foreign affairs committee talking about his opposition to the bill. [video clip] >> let the record be clear, there is no question that we all support israel. the fact of the matter is, we worked very hard together to make sure there was one voice on the very first boys once the speaker was selected to say that we all support israel.

there were some decisive votes that we take as congress that will stick with us. one of those votes is this one, age are 6126 -- hr 6126. we worked together for national security needs, this breaks that long and important tradition. once we set conditions with poison pills it is hard to go back. we cannot unring that bell. we have stood in a bipartisan way to send aid to israel and we are considering a bill that does exactly that. it does not include the 9.1 billion the administration

requested to address global humanitarian needs including gaza undermining our values and diplomacy in bipartisan support for israel. we aim to use power for good in this world. that is been our guiding principle drawn from lessons learned when we look away. we cannot afford to look the other way as ukraine faces of vital moment. we cannot support when countries in the indo pacific are looking to the united states for leadership as we engage with strategic competition with china. are we prepared -- let's reject this bill that trades national security. host: we are taking our cause on that topic which is the house bill that passed yesterday 14 .3 billion in military aid with a

tax to irs enforcement. the numbers for democrats (202) 748-8000, republicans (202) 748-8001, for independents (202) 748-8002, you can text us (202) 748-8003 had (202) 748-8 we are also on facebook and x. our first call is from ronald, a republican. caller: there is a study about israel it came up all of a sudden. i don't understand why we are standing up for israel and they don't believe in jesus christ our savior. anyone who does not believe in jesus christ our savior, god will not bless that land. if america is supporting that, there is something wrong with

that. i don't believe that is something jesus christ our savior they are barking up the wrong tree. host: here is steve on facebook that says republicans are determined to give wealthy tax cheats attack -- a pass. attacks from michael senator schober is right, is not a serious bill and not allowing it on the floor. most republicans in the senate do not agree with that. and dave in minnesota texted us more outright hypocrisy. cutting irs enforcement while claiming to be fiscally conservative. let us take a look at republican congress steve womack on the house floor, this is speaker johnson speaking yesterday to reporters. [video clip]

>> how we be able to pay the israel funding? president biden has issued a veto threat. would you consider putting a bill on the floor that would support israel without the cuts? >> we are in dire straits as a nation and if you talk to leaders that the staff at pentagon even under oath they testified, if you ask with the greatest threat is you would expect they would say china, russia, iran. they say it is the national debt. we have to address it. we have obligations and commitments we want to help and assist our friend israel but we have to keep our own house in order as well. the american people understand that. at home, you have to balance your budget in make tough decisions and washington should run the same way. we are here to change the

environment and change the paradigm. if we continue on the path we are on it will hurt. while we take care of obligations we have to do it in a responsible manner. i said to the president and made it clear to our colleagues and senate republicans, to every cabinet official i have spoken to, we will do this in a responsible manner and that's important. host: that was speaker johnson. here's the high -- headline, speak mike johnson signals ukraine aid coupled with border security is next with -- on republican agenda. caller: the big thing that i have with the republican side of the bill is to take away the funding for the irs. i don't understand that and they

give lame excuses for it. if you are not cheating, what do you care? that is a big problem for me. everything else i approve of what they are doing but why take away funding from the irs? you know? host: cornell is in new jersey, a democrat. caller: good morning, i am against it because it is a nonstarter. first of all, they are going to take the money from the irs because they refuse to govern. they are concerned with the irs agents making the wealthy pay their fair taxes in the bottom line is, the new speaker knows that what he put up was going to

be a nonstarter in the first place. even though it was not coupled with ukraine money and they are not concerned with governing. that is the biggest problem with the republican party, even when they ran. they had no platform. when i see the republican party, i see george santos. it's almost -- is unfathomable at this time now. what is going to happen on the 17th when the debt ceiling is going to have to be adjusted under the trump administration they raised the debt ceiling three times. the democrats did not hold the trump administration hostage. host: on november 17, the government runs out of funding.

but yes, you are right about the debt ceiling. it's just not the right date. anything else? caller: the bottom line is this. the republican party at this point has no chance of getting anything like this done and tuesday of the election, i would hope that the american people. what -- that's one of the democrats problem, they are not getting the word out that everyone can see this is a nonstarter. host: john and arlington, virginia. caller: two problems, on the ukraine thing. i can see a tie between ukraine aid and a policy change to stop the influx from the border. i think that's something a lot

of people will understand and i understand that's a little dicey for some people but i think it's necessary. on this bill passed by the house, i agree with other people there. taking it out of the irs is not a good idea. the idea of trying to pay for what you do is not bad but taking it out of the irs, that is not good. host: is there another part of the budget that you would recommend taking it out of? caller: i don't know, they could talk -- find something else. the idea of spending more without offsets or raising taxes to support it, i think we have to start getting into that.

like i say, trying to get border security tied to it is almost necessary. host: miriam and montana, good morning. caller: i've gotta say that what people don't realize that the irs is a moneymaking factor. so we can afford to go to russia. that is how we have money so we can go to war with russia or what republicans are trying to say, the genocide in gaza. in the torah, having a state of israel as seen -- is seen as anti-they prevent the people of

israel having to stay. people don't understand how we could go to war but not have money for universal health care is because were not taxing the people enough. host: the hill saying biden would veto and israel only a bill and this is john kirby. he has a spokesperson for the national security council talking about the white house reaction. [video clip] >> the president believes the supplemental request we submitted contains four critical national security needs. israel, eight ukraine, and pacific means. you are submitting what you think our urgent request and the president wants to see them all acted on by congress.

>> you would want to see them all work together but lawmakers are trying to figure out how to negotiate through this? it's an unclear signal from the administration. with this be in israel only bill? >> the president will veto and israel only bill. we made that clear. host: we are taking your calls about the bill that passed yesterday. 14.3 billion in israel aid coupled with irs cuts on their enforcement. doug in fairfax south dakota. caller: i am a god-fearing guy but i don't think we should send any money to israel. this is got me upset. biden, lincoln and kirby i think were watching a genocide going

on but when you're god's chosen you do nothing. stop helping them with this letter. what happens when israel kills americans trapped in gaza? is that all right biden? or helping ukraine because russia is stealing ukraine's ground but were helping israel steel palatine -- palestine's ground. if you go to the virtual jewish library. text concerning zionism, from 1896. the iron wall from 1923. some bousquet lays out their plan on how to take over zion and after the slaughter they will of succeeded. the most truthful story is told on youtube how israel was created. biden is trying to boost the

economy by building and selling weapons. it doesn't make sense to me. i think it is rather stupid. biden will have us in world war iii. stop the slaughter, it's a. have a good day but this has got me upset. i hope you asked that lady about the two people that israel is going to take over palestine. have a good day. host: trina in new york, a republican. caller: hi thank you for taking my call. there is a lot of hate being spewed every morning. it's so discouraging. i think it's a great idea that they separated the packages. it is not going to get very far but i love the example that the house is setting by trying to do

things the way the system was set up. i feel like people cannot have it both ways and is generally folks calling on the democratic line that cares so much about the irs business. we don't need an irs. if we had a flat tax. the working poor are paying all of the taxes in this country. half of america does not pay any taxes. i work with people who are disenfranchised and poor in a nonprofit and i have had to pay so many taxes. my children have to pay taxes when they look 3, 4 jobs. it is ridiculous. it's unrealistic that we need an irs. i have a question for you. i did not get to hear yesterday why the two republicans opposed

the package that was presented marjorie taylor greene and i can't remember the other person. i was hoping you can play that. host: let me try to find you an article about that. but it was regarding that they were against any kind of foreign aid. that is my understanding but let me get an article so we can make sure. ok? caller: sure thanks. host: on social media we have a text from joyce in new york, a democrat. we need the irs funding. many agents need replacing and they are helpful if you call them. i dependent on their advice. it is petty of the speaker and a poison pill that will not pass the senate. and jimbo in california, an independent says. this bill is d.o.a. and speaker johnson will not last long because he answer to extremist and his party.

when he realizes he needs to compromise to pass bills, he will be fired. attacks from ad in south carolina. great to see a new spending bill that cuts funding to pay for new spending. this is the first bill that makes sense in years. someone saved 33 trillion? charles in florida, a democrat. caller: good morning. host: good morning. go ahead charles. caller: i think we lost consciousness of history in the past. all of the major debt throughout society have occurred from republican administrations. reagan contract, the busboys, iran, iraq, iran again. and trump who sides with russia

and the whole republican needs to be arrested right now. we have people who committed treason against our country and now they don't want to pay the bill. created by republican administrations. host: we will talk to john, a republican in tennessee. caller: i think it is great what they did yesterday. there is another way they can get their money back by senators and congressmen who don't have 20 years of service, if there 60 years old they don't get anything. anytime they wanted pay raise we should be able to vote on it. and we are not. they vote on their own pay raises in retirement.

they have expense accounts that take care of expenses. they can charter doesn't go anywhere they want to at our expense. i think they did a good thing yesterday. they don't have to cut social experience. they stayed to terms, and draw and get insurance for the rest of their life. they could cut that out and put it on the debt. thank you. host: chris in california, and independent. christopher? caller: yes, good morning. there are three facets to what has been going on in the house of representatives. when he comes to the bill that they are trying to get past. number one, the use of the

dollars that we were to give -- or that we are proposing to give israel. it is like a bank -- blank check. i think that is wrong. i think we ought to put prescriptions all that money so that it is not used to kill thousands of thousands of palestinian civilians. another part is, when you cut the irs, the jobs that are being cut are those examiners of taxes that would look for and find people who are under pain or not paying their taxes. not having those people cost us revenue. we don't get the amount of money

coming into the treasury because we don't have people examining and building -- bringing the money in. that is a double cost. the cost of giving 14 billion to israel, cutting the cost of the irs and the money we would lose in that practice. the third point is, we are out there in the growing world. the things that happen in the world today are a lot more expensive. our responsibility is greater. it is going to cost more money. do we as a people cut back on our government, honor programs, honor people to fund our responsibilities? or do we really take a look at

it and just a minor increase and a commodity that would raise money and extra taxes? and of course neither republicans or democrats want to raise taxes of penny. host: got it christopher. let's take a look at debbie wasserman schultz speaking on the house floor yesterday about why she opposes the house bill. [video clip] >> i rise in. the debate we are having today is deeply personal. i have never felt this magnitude of agony shock and anger burning through the jewish community. for many of us this goes beyond our beliefs and raises above politics as usual. this should be a moment of unity where partisan gains in

showmanship are put aside. we should be voting on a bill to provide emergency assistance to israel. just yesterday, hamas vowed to rip -- repeat that over and over again. the house should send the clean bill to the senate but he is making support for israel contingent on issues that are unrelated to security. i am seeing statements from colleagues since october 7 proclaiming an ironclad commitment to israel. i have heard their promises to never condition aid to israel. you looked israel leaders in the eye and promised never to do that. but here we are. we cannot send the message to our strongest ally in the middle east that the u.s. will only

support israel if we can score points against democrats. host: we are taking your calls about the bill on the program. a color had asked about the two republicans that voted against the bill. those were massey and marjorie taylor greene. he said we cannot afford more foreign aid i voted against the bill to ukraine and 14 billion for aid to israel tonight. marjorie taylor greene said, i support israel, their statehood and write to the -- right to defend themselves. but i demand the border be our first priority. ralph is a democrat in new york, good morning mouth. caller: i am a tax preparer and

we do in fact need the irs. they are the advocates for the working poor and middle-class. they sent letters when taxpayers had forgotten about their earned income tax credit to combat child poverty. the irs is working with people to help them. the two main reasons that lawmakers are against the irs is the enforcement of power. they are protecting their wealthy interest from paying their taxes because tax fraud is in the neighborhood of 400 billion. the other reason is because they are against union workers. host: janice, a republican in florida. caller: hi, good morning. the first point i would like to start with is from the

god-fearing democrats and anyone else that claims to be a christian and does not support israel. the bible clearly states, i will bless those who bless israel and curse those who curse israel. those are the apple of god's side, period. and you stand with them or against them. as far as the irs, the irs is the largest government entity in the united states. they can afford to be cut down. they are too large, they have too much power. host: when you say the largest entity, what he mean by that? caller: they are the biggest government, they are huge. and they hired all these extra

agents to carry guns, for what? host: the irs is not the biggest agency in the government. caller: that was what i was led to understand. the irs is one of the biggest government agencies that we have. the democrats went there and they just hired how many more? irs agents that are supposed to be able to carry guns. they are not knocking on oprah winfrey store or bloomberg's store. they are going after aramaic -- everyday american people who are paying 40% of their paycheck to taxes. everyone is outraged about that. my last comment, the money going to ukraine.

i have had enough of my money going to ukraine. at the end of the day, if biden was giving the money to ukraine to win the war that would be something else. he is not giving any money to win this war and for him to go there and tell israel that they need to cease fire. because if hamas would drop their arms there would be no war. they should not cease and let hamas demolish them. they don't wanted to party state they want the jews gone. host: another story that we are watching is saturday tommy -- senator tommy tuberville. things got heated in the senate amongst his republican colleagues. here he is speaking to reporters yesterday. [video clip] >> has any of this cause you to

change your approach? >> no, no matter what. first of all, we don't even know what the policy is. they won't give it to us. we went through a briefing and we got no definition of what the change. they are shooting from the hip. we need to sit down and talk about the policy and see if there's anything we can agree with. >> senators are saying that these people have nothing to do with the policy. >> that is the only way i can get their attention and i've told you all along but i hate to have to do this. but somebody has to listen to us. i work for the people in this country. i work for the taxpayers of this country. 60% of democrats and republicans do not want to pay for

abortions. they don't want their money to go to it. this is not just a republican issue this is a taxpayer issue. i am standing up for the people in this country and i will continue to do that. host: back to your calls, sarah a republican in savannah georgia. caller: hey all, first of all i have to say it is way too early in the morning to be arguing about this ridiculousness. we are spending money on things we should not be spending money on. she quoted the bible correctly. the third thing i'm going to say , we are sitting around fighting. everyone is yelling and screaming and no one is doing anything about it. host: what if you want people to do about it? caller: i don't know, i don't know what to do.

i should call everyone's mother and tell them they should be embarrassed by raising so many babies. you act like babies in public. host: are you talking about lawmakers? caller: i'm talking about everybody. this is ridiculous. we are spending all this money on the irs and the department of defense and all the stuff you were talking about. i feel like, why can't we all just get along? host: an independent in broadway virginia, jerry. caller: good morning. these people talking about cutting the irs. this is new spending money that they received from the bill to hire 80,000 more irs agents.

you know the first thing they did without money? they spent 5 million on guns and ammunition. when the irs man comes to your door, he will be armed. host: here's the text we got from anthony in riverside, illinois. the party of no taxation and spend with abandon is determined to defund the agency that brings in revenue. steve on facebook says, literally the most common sense thing i have heard in three years. of course there should be accountability and affordabity and each and every bill. how is that a problem? apparently it for democrats. the ukraine package should be weapons and not money. and catherine on facebook says,

house republicans want to protect the rich. thankfully it is dead on arrival. look at the taxes collected from the rich recently. it has collected 100 60 million of back taxes by cracking down on millionaires who have not paid with theo. let's talk to william -- who have not paid what they owe. let's speak with william. caller: people don't realize that the bible talks about to israel's. the israel above in the israel below. god was concerned about the israel above and that consist of the true believers through the world. anyone who becomes saved. that is the israel god is concerned about. host: mark is next in clover deal, indiana. caller: i wanted to say, the irs

will not bother the rich because of the lawyers and stuff. these extra agents will go after people on lower income levels that make $12 an hour and under. i will say this, my dad ended up getting audited when he was making minimum wage and they never got another dollar out of him. it's just a form of harassment. i believe that we need to support israel totally. the israelites have been attacked by palestinians for year after year. they could have had plenty of free money from us as a country if they would quit building their infrastructure -- they

would have money to do something worthwhile but they support activity of hatred against the jews. they are very antisemitic and so is a lot of liberals in the usa and these colleges. they are anti-semitic and they're not willing to face the truth that israel has a right to the land. god has given them the right to that land 2000 years before 1948. people don't know world history and they don't know the history that is true and accurate. instead, they are marching like a bunch of fools. angry at israel because some people have been killed. the number of people that have been killed were 70 million babies. we can't point fingers at israel because people want to hide from

the reality that they should be in the southern section of gaza. host: let's take a look at what the republican congressman womack said on the house floor in support of the bill. [video clip] >> this support is clear we either support our israeli friends we do not. we have heard complaints about the funding offset and the lack of non-israel funding in this bill. each member is entitled to their opinion but at the end of the day it will provide 14 billion in support of israel and his war against these murderous terrorists. that is the important part. these are not just numbers on the piece of paper. real lives are at stake here. this funding will save israeli lives through replenishment of its missile defenses it will give israel the ability to rid

the world of terrorist and establish deterrence in the middle east at a time that it is aggressively advancing on all fronts. what happen october 7 was tragic. no one can argue the cruel and gruesome atrocities were justified. israelis were killed in their homes, massacred for having different religious beliefs than their terrorist attackers and unfortunately these actions have not been met with universal condemnation, not even in this house. host: we are talking about that house passed bill, 14.3 billion in aid to israel coupled with the cut to the irs tax enforcement. joe in maryland, a democrat. joe, are you there? no.

john in california, a republican. caller: yes, good morning. i would like to say that i am happy that congress has finally passed a single bill that will go to the senate and will not pass. our congress and senate are not accountable for nothing. for 20 years, we have been killing our own kids with military. it is time that these republicans and democrats sit down and hash this out because you have a conservative speaker of the house and you have a leader of the democratic party, jeffries, who was a muslim who doesn't care. all they care is about spending

money and putting my grandkids in debt. it is time america takes care of america. and close the southern borders, joe biden. you guys are clowns. that is all i have to say and god bless america. host: mike in new york, new york, and independent. caller: good morning, you do a good job. everyone talks about the bible. both of them are killing kids. israelis are supposed to be smart, wealthy and palestinians are supposed to be wicked, savage people.

and they talk about the bible and israel, in 1948, they gave him the land over there. the bible was before that. these people are of the jewish faith. there were jews in ethiopia, black people. they were in israel living in squalor. have a great day. host: our previous caller said that hakeem jeffries was a muslim but he was actually a baptist and he belongs to cornerstone baptist church. bennett, -- denise, sorry. caller: i really want to support israel because of the things

that happened to israel could happen to us here in america. and it did happen with 9/11. but to cut the irs, they make the money for us. people who are rich, usually don't want to pay their taxes. i think we should support the irs and get rid of all of these people who don't want to pay their taxes. that is my opinion. host: secretary blinken and has arrived in israel for another visit. here he is from a few moments ago standing next to the president of israel, isaac herzog. he is expected to ask for a humanitarian pause. [video clip]

>> it's always good to be back in israel. these are difficult days and we are back here where we will remain, and solidarity with israel. we stand strongly for the proposition that israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself and do everything possible to make sure that october 7 could never happen again. at the same time, as he made clear, how israel does this matters and it's very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of hamas that everything is done to protect them and bring assistance to anyone who needs it. for those who were in no way responsible for what happened on october 7. we are working together but we have a shared determination will not wane. we are also thinking every single moment of our hostages.

so many of israelis, americans, other nationals. we are determined to do everything we can to bring them back safely. to bring them back to their families or loved ones. host: that was the secretary of state from a few minutes ago and israel. here's the article from the new york times that said israel presses for pauses that would allow food, water and aid to reach gaza and help with hostage releases. on her independent line, in ohio. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. as of being who is in support of the palestinians that are being slaughtered.

i don't feel good about sending billions of dollars to israel to support the massive attacks happening right now. i am deeply saddened by it. i wish that we could do better. we deserve to do better as human beings living on this planet to stand up and witness and speak out against an injustice happening. i don't think we should send any money to take part in that. we are seeing it in real time the last 80 years. the palestinian people have experienced genocide. we are seeing it play out in real time, right now. the same thing that happened to the jews, they are doing it to the palestinian people with these settlements.

and we are just standing by. actually, we are helping, condoning it instead of standing up to say stop, with cease-fires. unfortunately, religion has caused the mass genocides and continues to perpetuate across the globe. as a be witnessing this and wants us to stop, can we please, please find our humanity and stop quoting biblical religious things. that is all i wanted to say. thank you for taking my call. host: terrence is a democrat in ohio. caller: i want to commend you up on the top that you are doing. you are listening to a lot of varied opinions. some factually based and others

conjecture. i can only imagine the depths you had to reach to speak about hakeem jeffries. i am worried about our voting electorate. people don't have a firm understanding of how our government works. i am a two time iraq war veteran and i served in the army. the irs is a critical component to our government structure. they collect the revenue from the money that we borrowed from the central bank. we have less revenue collection, we will have to make up for that deficit somewhere and i we have seen in the past two years with the trump administration and republicans in the house are trying to put forward. we will create more of a deficit for our country that we will have to pay with higher rates. it is factually inaccurate that the irs is doing a bad job.

they have a purpose to save taxpayers money to collect from tax cheats. it is frustrating that people use secular reasons for why we should do things. we are not a secular nation. we are built on laws and principles. that should never be the basis for how we operate as a country. voters can have those particular opinions. but it is a fools errand for that to be the basis of a person's conversation. lastly, what is happening in israel is tragic. there is a lot of collateral damage as we say in the military. but at the same time, there should be some proportionality in terms of the civilian lives being expended. every sovereign nation has the

right to defend itself. but there are rules of war. there are a lot of things that don't get reported about what happens in israel. the settlements that they keep expanding onto palestinian land. the u.n. don't even acknowledge the settlements. i think we need to take a step back, get a look at what is really going on and get to the facts. thank you very much and good luck for the rest of the day. host: though settlements are in the west bank but not in gaza. there have been some attacks by extremist settlers and president biden has called on those to stop. john in venice, florida. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. i would like to see the irs, can

you hear me? host:? right had. caller: what i would like to see the irs and all the money biden got corruptly and start with him. let him pay his share first. ok, how about that? host: ok, and here the washington post saying the gop funds israel aid with irs caused . reducing funds to the tax agency is a top priority for house republicans setting up a budget clash. karen in connecticut, and independent. caller: in 2013i watched an episode on democracy now with one gonzalez where ariel sharon said that hamas is a creature of

israel. all of the murder going on now, killing the palestinians and we are sending more money to kill them, to eradicate them. host: can you explain that a little bit more karen? ariel sharon said that israel created hamas, in what way? caller: his quote that hamas is a creature of israel. this was in 2013. i was shocked to hear it and it was on democracy now. with amy goodman and juan gonzalez. that told me it was a group that was created by israel to create chaos. and now hamas is the one creating chaos and murder and we are sending more money to

eradicate palestinians who are supporting hamas. and they are not. to support genocide not in our name, my heart breaks. the fact that the house passed 13 billion not in our name and you are telling the palestinians that we are going to murder you and this is the money that will help do it. we will make sure that israel take your land and we will continue to murder you and tell someone else they are doing it. i am shocked that this continuity is going on supporting estate within a country where they were living before. most of the jews are people of

dark skinned color. those are the palestinians that are being murdered and no one is discussing that. no one is discussing the settlements, people's land taken. they are being killed. this has been going on for 75 years. i was in college in the 90's when this was going on. host: lawrence in maryland, a democrat. caller: thank you for taking my call. my comment is to the gentleman and gentlelady who stated that god said he would bless those who bless israel and curse those who curse israel. i would just like to add context of that. to my understanding, israel translated one who struggles with god.

if you look at the old testament, god spends more time angry with israel, punishing israel than he does blessing them. if we can translate that into modern terms, the modern day jews don't even believe in christ to accept christ. why can it not be the case that israel gets punished for their actions by their god sometimes? i think it is very misleading to say that if you do not stand with israel in condemning all palestinians then you are outside of the will of god. that is my comment, thank you. host: -- caller: we listen to eloquent speeches by republicans about israel, and at the same time, they could hell and the bill

about the irs. if you would like to help israel, make a clean bill and it passes. the money goes to israel, and you fight the irs thing later. anyway, that is my point. it is simple. they have made it hard and difficult, and we have to listen to them talk about israel in these speeches, and it just gets old. host: john, all right. that is our last call from vienna, virginia. thank you to everybody who called in. after the break, two perspectives on how the israel-hamas war is impacting the jewish and palestinian muslim communities in the u.s. first, amy spitalnick from the jewish council of public affairs. later, nihad awad from the council on american islamic relations.

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opinion that matters most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome back to "washington journal." we are joined by amy spitalnick, the chief executive officer of the jewish council for public affairs. welcome. guest: thank you for having me. host: can you talk about your organization and how you are funded? guest: the jewish council for public affairs is a nearly 80-year-old jewish national organization founded specifically because we understand that jewish community is best in societies that are inclusive, and we are in deep relationship with our neighbors, in which we are fighting against all people, particularly in this

moment, we are focused on protecting democracy, fighting not just anti-semitism but the ways it connects to all other forms of hate in this moment. right now, given the horrific surge following october 7, we know that it is more important than ever. we are funded by individuals and organizations around the country. people who recognize the urgency of building deep relationships between the jewish community and our neighbors. in particular, we work closer with jewish community councils, which there are 125 across the country and we are supported by them and by local federations, as well. host: i will put on the screen the rise in anti-semitic incidents across the u.s.. here it is, a total of 300 12 anti-semitic incidents recorded between october 7 and the 23rd. 190 were linked to the war in

israel and gaza. overall increase of 400% over the same time last year, according to the antidefamation league. what do you attribute that rise to? how was the jewish community reacting? guest: look, even before october 7, we saw a record level anti-semitism across the country. part of that is the result of how anti-semitism and broader extremism has increased normalized in our society over the last few years. after october 7, we saw such a horrific increase year-over-year because we were already starting from a place of crisis, but particularly over the last four weeks, what we have seen is now jews, jewish institutions, jewish property being targeted because of the actions of the

israeli government, so people are blaming jews around the country and world because they hypothetically disagree with the actions of the israeli government, but in targeting jews with direct explicit anti-semitism. some of it is happening on college campuses, including a student arrested this week for making death threats against jewish classmates. we have seen the viral video from places like cooper union and others in which students were surrounded, barricaded into a library. in that case, other students were attacked physically in other places, and more broadly we are seeing everything from anti-semitic graffiti to other hate crimes and attacks against jews and jewish institutions that go well beyond simply criticizing israel into direct attacks on jewish people and property and organizations in

reaction to the actions of this really government. host: this is what i would like to investigate more with you as far as drawing the line between legitimate criticism of israeli policies and anti-semitism. how do you define anti-semitism? guest: i think it is important to understand anti-semitism itself in order to understand what the line is in this moment between criticism of israel and israeli policies and the explicit anti-semitism we are seeing. both of those things are happening in public debate now. there is debate over israeli policy and that is legitimate. in september, not that long ago, i stood outside with other jewish leaders and rabbis, criticizing israel's antidemocratic reforms they were making, so there is plenty of

legitimate criticism and debate to be had over israeli policy, whether it is the policy like democratic reforms or actions and all of the above. but what we are seeing now is something that goes far beyond that in many cases, so we are seeing people effectively saying jewish people and institutions should be targeted as a result of these actions. we are seeing people saying israel should be wiped off the face of the earth, language from others that specifically talk about wiping jews out of the region. and so much more that goes beyond simple criticism or debate over israeli actions and policies. it is crucial we draw this line for so many reasons, including to protect speech and civil liberties here in the united states. also, so we can fully identify, confront and hold accountable

the real machinations of anti-semitism that we are seeing happening in places that in turn lead to jews feeling unsafe on college campuses and communities around the country and across the globe, frankly. host: i will show a definition of ai-semitism from the holousremembrance alliance, "anti-semitism is a rtn perception of jews which may be expressed as hatred toward jews, rhetoric beliefs directed toward jewish or non-jewish individuals or toward their property and religious facilities." i invite our viewers to join us in the conversation. democrats, (202)-748-8000. republicans, (202)-748-8001. independents, (202)-748-8002. we also have a line for jewish

citizens, (202)-748-8003. going back to what is happening on college campuses at cornell, arrested, if you could tell us what is going on there and what you see as the role of colleges in this conflict and what they should be doing. guest: cornell is one of the most egregious examples we have seen, in which over the weekend, a student was arrested and identified as a junior at the university. directly posting messages to threaten and kill his jewish classmates. the language was so boring that i do not need to repeat it get -- repeated here. what we saw there is a manifestation of the crime at college campuses in which jewish students are feeling increasingly unsafe. i was the leader and president of my fellow student group at my

university a good amount of time ago when i was in college, and it feels like the world has changed dramatically in the years since. what we are seeing are no longer only constructive debates around israeli policy, although i am sure that is happening, but, increasingly, the weight in which the conversation on israel and palestine has moved into vitriolic and dangerous language targeting jewish students in many corners. i would like to be clear that we also know that muslim, arab-american students and palestinian students are targeted, as well. we have an obligation to call that out. in particular, universities, college campuses all have an obligation to keep students safe. that is their fundamental responsibility under federal law, to protect the civil rights of their students. i was part of a meeting with the secretary of education and a number of others earlier this week, along with my fellow ceos

of national jewish organizations and we specifically made clear that we expect the federal government to provide guidance and requirements to universities , making clear their obligations in the moment and told him accountable if they cannot keep students safe. this is also true beyond college campuses and universities. we know k-12 schools are places where jewish students and other students are targeted in this moment, and they, too, have an obligation to keep students safe. and, frankly, parents are trying to figure out what to do. i am getting text messages from friends and colleagues asking if people should even send their kids to school because they are worried about them being targeted because they are jewish or arab-americans. none of this is ok or aligns with the values and responsibilities that our education system is supposed to be about. all of these institutions have an obligation to act to ensure our students are safe and in a

productive and learning environment. host: the hill has this headline, the biden administration outlines headlines to address anti-semitism on college campuses. does it go far enough? what is your response? guest: they were important first steps announced before the meeting we had monday, and there is more that needs to be done, just what we articulated to the secretary of education and other officials we met with on monday. they specifically committed to a two week timeline to get schools and universities even more resources. this is a moment that goes so far beyond the usual day today conversation over israel and palestine that goes beyond the crisis level, anti-semitism and the hate and violence we have seen. this requires an unprecedented response. i am grateful that they seemed

receptive and understanding of that and eager to continue to work closely with them to ensure those needs are addressed and implemented as soon as possible because with each passing day, we know students are increasingly at risk. host: let's talk to a caller in indianapolis, indiana. gene is an independent. caller: yes, how are you? i have a question, i would like to know why historically there has been so much anti-semitism or hatred towards the jewish people, just historically, from typical times to germans, hitler's, to hamas, what all the hatred towards jewish people? i will listen off-line. delay. -- thank you. guest: that is a great question, and i think it really cuts to the core of what we are talking about because we know that anti-semitism is a prejudice and bigotry against jewish people.

but anti-semitism also uniquely functions as a conspiracy theory, related to ideas of jewish control and power. you hear this manifesting in different ways. you hear it right now, blaming jews for the actions of the israeli government and keeping this idea of a controlling entity that is responsible for everything terrible that happens in the world. for example, what we saw in charlottesville six years ago, the idea that jews are puppet masters orchestrating a replacement of the white race. and it is these conspiracy theories that are connected to ideas of control and power and go back not simply decades or centuries but millennia. they are some of the oldest forms of bigotry and speak to that precise millennial long cycle of anti-semitism that we have seen manifest over and over again.

what we are seeing now is in certain ways but it is rooted in old hatred and conspiracy theories that seek to blame jewish people, jewish power for everything terrible happening in our society. host: david in silver spring, maryland, independent nine. -- independent line. caller: i have a question for the lady. i have no war in this fight. the arabs do not -- i don't particularly care about the arabs because of slavery. and then i find out that the jews [indiscernible] and also there is a problem and that is why there is this problem in israel because of the jews from europe, those were not the only ones. isn't that the problem? guest: i am not even going to

give credence to some of the conspiracy theories and bigotry rooted in that. ashkenazi jews are jews, jews of colors are jews, the jewish community is incredibly diverse. until we recognize that and understand that every single jew is a jew, anti-semitism will only continue to fester. host: pat is a democrat in michigan. good morning. caller:. good morning. i don't have a question, just a comment. i would like to say, i was born and raised in detroit. detroit has germantown, chinatown, polk town, mexican town, all these different nationalities. i grew up with wide and varied people, and the culture, the

restaurants, the seasons, celebrations, i just want to tell everybody, i do not understand all the prejudice. this country was established, as far as i understand it, for everyone, anyone to come to and practice their religion or not. and why all of a sudden all these divisions are going on in a free nation for all is absolutely insane to me. to me, we are so gifted in this country to have such wide and varied cultures. and you can talk to your neighbor, who is a different nationality than you, and get to know their family, their celebrations for a time of year,

christmas, or hanukkah, or whatever and you can travel to another country right next door and you can travel to another country right in detroit. all this prejudice and hate, i do not understand it and do not want to understand it. to me, america is wide and varied and free for everyone. host: any comments? guest: i appreciate that. it is refreshing given the rhetoric in the last four weeks. i agree. the reason we are seeing, particularly record levels of anti-semitism and other forms of hate and violence are now, are multiple, but, particularly, we know that there are those who are exploiting this moment and

crises like the ones in gaza, exploiting social media, to continue to seek to tear communities apart and to tell us that somehow the safety of one community comes at the expense of another. and we know inherently that we are all safest in a society when we recognize our safety is in partnership and relationship with our neighbors, as different as we may be. that is the core of the idea, the center of our work at the jewish council for public affairs, but we are seeing some particularly over the last few weeks, exploit this crisis to try and tell us otherwise. a few days ago when the white house announced a really important islamic phobia national strategy to keep the muslim communities here, safe in the u.s., which came, of course, a number of months after announcing historic anti-semitism strategy, we saw some, including for politicians

and others, eight specifically exploited the announcement to suggest it came at the expense of jewish safety. they are trying to suggest my safety is a jewish woman cannot exist in a world where my muslim neighbors are safe in my arab-american neighbors are safe. that is simply false. we need to stop hitting the communities against one another and recognize that we are all safest and inclusive societies, where our neighbors are able to exercise their rights and live their lives safely and constructively. host: you mentioned at the u.s. national strategy to counter anti-semitism that came out in may of 20, 3, people can go to whitehouse.gov if people would like to read it. what does it propose and what impact has it had, if any? guest: it came out in late may, may is jewish-american heritage

month. specifically, it includes a number of specific policy ideas intended to provide a whole of society approach to countering anti-semitism, including everything from helping people better understand who jews are, jewish heritage and culture, to specific policies related to universities, k-12 schools, education around hate and bigotry, and includes a number of specific policies about inclusivity, making sure jews are treated inclusively in our society. it specifically seeks to counter the normalization of anti-semitism, something we have talked about this morning, the ways in which conspiracy theories, which are rooted in anti-semitism, have become increasingly normalized in politics and society and the rhetoric that so many are hearing, and the plan also specifically focuses on cross

community solidarity,, recognizing that jewish safety is linked to the safety of so many other communities, to the health and vibrancy of a multiracial democracy, and making sure that we are building those cross community relationships and bridges necessary for all of us to feel safe. this is a historic plan and i was grateful to have been involved, in the initial roundtable last year that led to the creation of the plan, and we are grateful the white house shouted out with they are announcing the plan, and there is so much work to do to make sure that it is implemented effectively, constructively and quickly, given the moment we are in, but the plan does provide a roadmap. if it is implemented and embraced in the way it can and must be, and quickly, it can be in to counter some of the real

anti-semitism that we see come to a head right now, and i would also say, it will not simply keep the jewish community safe with hopefully it will keep some money safe because of the ways in the way that it is connected to other forms of hate targeting black people, refugees, and so many others. host: nikki is calling us from austin, texas, independent. caller: thank you for taking my call. just three things really quickly, some of which she is saying. first of all, let me say, the bible are good sources of information, especially when people say religious regions are the motivations. you back to genesis, or if you can vote with actual orthodox jewish people, those are good sources of information from a historical perspective. and then when you mentioned

getting along with our neighbors , again, when you go to genesis 16 and it mentions ishmael, the older son of abraham, and then israel, the grandson of abraham, whose original name was isaac, that is the root of a lot of things going on cross culturally, so i would encourage -- and i don't know if you have individuals in the organization as far as the more orthodox jewish people, but i would encourage bringing more of those people into the discussion so that when we have people from afar kind of commenting, we can hear from actual people who are professionally involved with understanding, where does this come from historically? a lot of people kind of see the bible as fiction in itself, when

those of us who actually read the entire bible or jewish people who actually read the entire torah know better that it is not fiction, and as you get deeper into some of these conversations, maybe we can then try to bring peace to everyone and not say that it is conspiracy but, no, it is actually based upon the truth. guest: if i can just, first of all, we work with all denominations of judaism in terms of our staff, partner organizations and jewish community. i do want to push back on the idea that somehow only orthodox jews are people who can speak to what judaism is, to the bible, the torah, any other form of jewish text. judaism and jewish people are remarkably diverse, including orthodox, including ashkenazi

jews, jews of color. there have been a few callers who have leaned into the idea that judaism is defined or jewish people are defined by only one type of jew. it is that thinking that leads to targeting us and hatred against jews because they are considered not sufficiently jewish or the good type of jew. it is important we push back against those when we narrowly defined judaism and the jewish people, and if we will ever effectively address anti-semitism, it is in recognizing the diversity of the jewish people. host: let's go to the republican line in indiana. david, good morning. caller: good morning. first of all, i would like to extend my feelings of the individuals who have been affected by recent war, and we hope that it works its way through quickly. my question is, i am curious

what the situation was between the palestinian and the jewish country prior to this invasion? what are the walls around the city built for? i am just curious. and i hear about how the palestinians were kind of walled in and had only one way out, one way in, we are controlled, also, the way israel, from what i understand, has taken over lands and other places that go on hikes, etc., etc., so what was the status of israel and palestine prior to the invasion? guest: it is 8:29, so i don't think we can get into the full history of conflict in the one minute we have left in the segment. but i will say that since 1948,

the establishment of the state of israel, there has been quite a lot that has happened between the israeli people and the palestinian people. both people have deep connections to the land historically, some religiously, and the only path forward is one in which both people can live side-by-side together in peace. i believe there are a two state solution, which ensures there is israel and provides palestinian people with their own dignity and rights, as well. it feels this moment that that is farther off than ever, but i also believe in moments of crisis, it is a clear spotlight on how urgent the future is, and, so, rather than rehashing the entire history of the conflict, it is important to understand that these ties people have to the land and recognize the only path forward is one in which they can live

side-by-side in peace and security. host: we will try to get one more call, billion north carolina, republican -- billy in north carolina, republican. caller: good morning. i am an old guy from north carolina. i just wanted the opinion that all the folks i have been watching since this morning, the folks calling in, criticizing everything israel has been doing, we have these folks over here and it is kind of embarrassing. i hear a lot of callers that are passionate. if they have the plights of the palestinians, which apparently they just came out from the west bank, so in support, the palestinian people, in support of hamas, the flags, everything else flying in the air, if this people are so passionate -- i, for one, if they want to go

fight because when you get down to whatever the palestinians stand for, one by one, none of these people in the street would go for gays being executed or us as christians or any other religious group. they are coming after everyone. that is what these folks do not understand. i just wanted to voice my support from north carolina. you do have supporters. we bless and think of you every day, so thank you, c-span. host: last comment, amy. guest: hamas is a terrorist organization and they espouse many of the positions this gentleman just conveyed. i think it is deeply important we differentiate between hamas and the palestinian people. that is important for many reasons, just in the same way we expect people not to target jews because they disagree with the

actions of the israeli government. israel is a nation that has a right to defend itself. at the same time, people can disagree with the israeli government and not be held accountable, no matter their opinion on israel's actions through the violence and acts of anti-semitism by those who disagree with israel or oppose israel or engage in that anti-semitism, and, similarly, it is crucial that we if her and she ate between hamas and the palestinian people and not paint the entire palestinian people, paint arab americans, muslim americans with a broad brush that holds them accountable for the actions of specific extremists across the globe. so, it is really important we hold that complexity and bring the nuance to the conversation at a time when so much of this is being painted in black-and-white zero-sum terms. host: amy spitalnick, chief

executive officer of the jewish council for public affairs, thank you. next, we are joined by nihad awad from the council on american islamic relations. we will be right back. ♪ >> monday, watch c-span series in partnership with the library of congress, books that shaped america. we will feature zora neale hurston's novel, "their eyes were watching god," said during the jim crow area and explores life within the african-american community, race relations, gender roles, and female empowerment. the book, written in 1937, is considered a harlem renaissance classic and has been influential on african-americans and women's literature. the professor of history at

vanderbilt university will join us on the program to discuss the book. she is the author of "zora neale hurston and the history of life." join us monday at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. scan the qr code to listen to our companion podcast, where you can learn more about the authors of the books featured. ♪ >> live sunday on "in-depth," former aclu president joins book tv to talk and take calls about civil rights, free speech, censorship, and more. she is the author of "defending pornography," and "free speech: what everybody needs to know."

join us with your facebook comments and texts. in-depth live, sunday at noon eastern on book tv on c-span2. >> if you miss c-span's coverage, you can find it anytime online at c-span.org. these points of interest markers appear on the right-hand side of your screen when you hit play on select videos. this timeline exit easy to quickly get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. scroll through and spend a few minutes on c-span's points of interest. >> healthy democracy does not just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly influenced, a republic drives. get informed straight from the

sources on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are because the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" -- host: welcome back to "washington journal," we are joined by nihad awad. welcome to the program. guest: good morning. host: you cofounded cair in 1994. tell us how you are funded. guest: the mission is to enhance islam because we believe that muslims are not well represented . there is a lot about what islam

is and the count is in the millions. we have to protect the civil rights of americans in the workplace, schools, government, so on and so forth. we also believe in empowering american citizens to encourage them to be more engaged to vote and run for elections themselves because service is important for us as muslims. also, we had coalitions with like-minded organizations who be -- and believe in civil rights for all. we are funded by the community. also, the people from the larger society, who believe in our mission. host: cair has come under criticism for connections to hamas, can you clarify any past or current connection you have

with hamas? guest: we have no connection. i am proud to be palestinian. the organization has operated for 30 years, 39 to be precise, and the political organizations are not just a community but those who need our help so they damage your credibility, but our credibility has been growing massively, but the support is from the public, and they don't judge rumors and he said, she said. host: from your organization

about the rise of anti-muslim incidents across the u.s., 774 complaints, included incidents on october, the largest amount reported since december 2015 ter former president trump declared his intentions for a muslim ban. can you tell us about the rise in these incidents? the mo shocking was the killing of the s-year-old boy in illinois and the wounding of his mother. tell us a little bit more about that. guest: yes, i have been doing this work for decades now. the bombing, the 9/11 backlash, all of these horrible incidents, i went through them, but just days after that, we saw that all

of us as americans came together, and we will not allow any hatred or violence against minorities. we did not allow that to continue. unfortunately since october 7, i have seen that our community is facing hate crimes today. a six-year-old boy and his mother, he was shot 26 times, and his mother was shot 12 times , and that is really do to the dehumanization of the palestinians in particular, and americans in this country because of the misrepresentation, and this misinformation about what happened and what happens in and around gaza and also in israel.

all of these things fueled hatred and anger among informed people -- uninformed people to take violent action against innocent people, so this is one incident. one woman was stabbed to death while at a picnic, and this puts the community on edge. people have been driving their cause into crowds, and that is alarming, and supplicating to people's right to speak. most of the cases are of people being threatened to be terminated at the workplace. medical professionals and

doctors have been terminated just for expressing sympathy to palestinians. we have not seen a response from the government to say, no, look, we will not allow backlash against any minority, whether jewish community, muslim community, or any community. people are free to express themselves. they are entitled to their views, but violence, hate crimes will not be tolerated. we are hearing a lot from officials that a statement to the muslim community or action being taken. host: i invite our viewers to join the conversation. democrats, (202)-748-8000. republicans, (202)-748-8001. independents, (202)-748-8002.

we have a line set aside for muslim americans on (202)-748-8003. you can use that same line for texting. i asked our previous guest about the definition of anti-semitism. i would like to ask you about your definition of islamophobia. guest: islamophobia can have different definitions, but the most common is the hatred and prejudice against muslims that leads to acts of discrimination or violence because of one's identity or one's religious views or adherence to a particular religion. in this case, islam. host: what has been your reaction to president biden's handling of this israel-hamas war? what is your message to him? guest: disasters, in one word, disastrous. the president has betrayed me as

a palestinian-american muslim, as someone who voted for him, and him on a zoom call assuring us that all americans are equal. in his policy, and the palestinians deserve freedom and all of this talk, but what we see now, he has been adding fuel to the fire. he is not making the region stable, and he has been supporting the occupier. and he is dismissing and analyzing the human suffering of the palestinians. minimizing their suffering is a form of dehumanization and has given many people the green light to commit these crimes we have been seen.

he has given the green light for the israeli government to be as brutal as the world is watching now, killing thousands of people, mostly civilians. the majority of these victims are babies, children. you do not have to watch cnn -- you have to watch cnn, you may not see this on fox news, just google it. he will be horrified, as the world has been horrified, so the president has betrayed us as voters, and has retrieved the americans, he has been shipping billions of dollars, not to fix schools or employee the unemployed or ensure -- insured and uninsured, not to help societies or help rebuild of the structure of this country, he has been shipping our hard

earned tax money to israel, a foreign country. at the same time, he is defending the ukrainians against the invasion, so the dilemma for us that i cannot comprehend, like millions of americans, how come you support the occupier in palestine and you support the occupied? if he flips it, reasonably speaking, he will see that palestinians are the occupied people. it is then who have been living in an open air prison, as president carter said, which is called gaza, and israel has just been shooting and bombing them. and people continue to say, israel has to defend themselves. against what? host: let's talk to viewers. marion in grovetown, georgia, democrat. caller: good morning. i first want to say how heartbroken i am for both the

jews, the innocent jews, and the instant penicillins -- innocent palestinians. i think it is how awful how organized religion can be deadly and make people not be able to think. my question is this, and i will read this, and if you don't mind, will you answer what netanyahu and thomas, their relationship is? let me read that -- netanyahu and hamas, their relationship is? this is from the times of israel. for years, governments led by benjamin netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the gaza strip and west bank, bringing palestinian authority president to his knees, while that propped up the hamas terror group. and i read that netanyahu would put money into hamas' hands, keeping hamas sort of empowered to cause chaos so that they

could use hamas as a reason to show what victims they are. i do not blame the jews at all. i blame governments that use this kind of horribleness to make policy. thank you very much. guest: thank you for your question and comment. you said innocent jews, muslims, i don't really think this way. this is not a fight between jews and muslims. this is an occupation by a designer's movement and to convince jews that this is their homeland. both palestine -- the land was taking over from palestine and hit habitants -- and inhabitants. i have so many people, there are

tens of thousands of jewish americans. you see them today everywhere protecting and believing that it is an apartheid state. they're growing more angry that they have been lied to about the idea that it is linked to judaism. they don't believe israel is in a different state. these are jewish americans and israelis, so this is not a fight between two religions. religions are the farthest from this. it is a misinterpretation of a religion, mainly judaism, to impose on other land and people. so this is very important to me because this is not about

religion but oppression of other people, and second -- host: i was going to ask about the second point. guest: the second point, you know, what israel is doing to palestinians, we should not get too much power for the israeli government. it is an occupation, and they are trying to defend themselves for 75 years against oppression and apartheid. host: let's talk to amy, in marion, indiana, muslim american. caller: hi. that is the smartest man i have ever heard talk. we need to listen to him and stop fighting. god is mad at the violence. he is real mad. those are innocent people. the palestine's are innocent. they did not do anything to anybody. host: all right, let's go to a

republican in campbell, maryland. michael, good morning. caller: thank you for having me. first off, i want to start off, i, far right republican -- i am a far right republican, and i support their fight because it is much like the fight that americans faced against king george and we gained their independence. that is what they're going through, having your land stolen , and not just your land but your dignity. that is what that is. i have heard of people getting kicked off their land. it is a horrible situation to live through. but i want to say that palestine right now is facing something that americans are going -- are facing. america and europe are under this zionist control, and the only media we get is zionist controlled media. if we don't go along with them,

they drop us off. host: i wanted to go back to something you said before, which is that your community is on edge. what is your message to members of the arab and muslim communities? guest: we are counseling the community, and i am counseling myself. we believe that god will solve everything, apart from you and i, and not only americans, but like so many people, people started to find out that they have the right. the mainstream media has done a disservice for joe biden by being one-sided all the time from the beginning of the conflict. one of the reasons i started to do this work is my honest

discussed with the media and how it is portraying the victims as victimizers. how they have been dehumanizing my faith, i people, myself, and others -- my people, myself, and others, and we have not had the chance to express ourselves as humans. look at us. we speak, we talked, we have a heart, eyes, ears. our humanity has been taken away from us by the disinformation for decades. so for my community, i would say, look, your activism is working. your speaking up is working. more americans believe in your message. more americans believe that american money should stay-at-home. american muslims should not be shipped to israel to bomb innocent people under the pretext of defending yourself. this is insane. but what you are doing is

massive. saturday, there will be a massive rally in washington, d.c., and if you are in the area, come and join. look up the muslim community activities in your community or the jewish progressive activists. they have all been doing marvelous jobs. we have to make sure our voices are there because the cries we get from being discriminated against is nothing to the price that the people of gaza and palestine have been pain, so i thank you for your advocacy, and if i may say, if you encounter any dissemination, our organs -- discrimination, our organization is here for yo u. we have 35 offices nationwide. our services are for you. you are not alone, we are working for you.

and you are not alone because you have so many americans believe in justice for all, including the palestinians. host: american officials have always said that israel has the right to defend itself. after that horrible attack on october 7 on israeli civilians, what do you see as the appropriate response from israel? guest: i think all these clashes are horrible. many civilians will die on both sides, and i, as a palestinian, i am against the hurting of any human being, especially civilians. our politicians are misleading us and the public. the occupy, according to national law, -- international law, they don't have the right

to occupy if there occupy people. occupy people have the right to defend themselves, have the right to defend themselves, so this allegiance to israel at the expense of our values as americans that human beings, as people who believe in international law and the rule of law, this is really a stain on the reputation of the americans and politicians. if i may speak to the politicians and president biden, look, your allegiance is to the american people, not a foreign nation. you have to prioritize national and american security around the world. the whole world is telling you. stop the madness. stop being one-sided. you support the people of ukraine but at the palestinians. this has to end. host: let's talk to deborah in new york, democrat. caller: good morning.

thank you for taking my call and thank you for taking the time to be here. there are so many points you mentioned that i was touched by and agree with. i am a psychologist by training, so i am watching this crisis unfold, and i am aware of the trauma that is occurring directly to so many humans and then vicariously to all of us on the sidelines really just watching and feeling very helpless, so that causes so much dysregulation and emotional activation, and are trauma systems are really activated, which makes us all think in black-and-white terms. we start categorizing as a way of kind of coping with our own feelings. my question is, due to the complexity of all of these matters, which have been going on for millennia, what can we do at this point in history to come

together with organizations like yours, but to really come together and get the attention of the media and have individuals like those callers on c-span, able to participate in a dialogue that is solution oriented and that can clarify misinformation and use experts like yourself to really help us understand the complexity of it, but also, you know, maintain that humanistic outlook that nobody really wants suppression, right? i would be interested in hearing any solutions you are aware of or any groups locally that can get the attention of the media to help solve some of these issues. thank you so much. guest: excellent point, thank you so much for your kind remarks and your thoughtful comment. look, the root cause of this is occupation. you cannot be superior to other

people and that should not qualify you to dehumanize other people and drive them forcibly to discriminate against them and just try to populate any land just because you have an interpretation of who you are or a section of yourself to qualify you and enable you to give you the right to do what you do to other people. we have to resolve this mentality. unless americans believe that the american government should change course, this will not be resolved. the main supporter of israel is the united states. i host: will have to stop you right there. we are out of time. nihad awad is the executive director on the council on american islamic relations. here is the house gaveling in. live into the righteousness, into the integrity we cannot