Democrat Betty McCollum from Minnesota accuses pro-Israel lobby of 'weaponizing anti-Semitism and hate to silence debate'

A Minnesota congresswoman called AIPAC a "hate group" inciting against her after the Israel lobby featured her in an attack ad.

"AIPAC claims to be a bipartisan organization, but its use of hate speech actually makes it a hate group," US Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat, said Wednesday in a statement. "By weaponizing anti-Semitism and hate to silence debate, AIPAC is taunting Democrats and mocking our core values."

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment. The lobby removed and apologized last week for at least two Facebook ads that slammed "radical" Democrats in Congress, and altered an online petition that said Israel's harshest critics in Congress pose a threat "maybe more sinister" than ISIS and other terror groups.

"This is not a call to action, it is incitement," McCollum said. "Elected representatives in Congress 'more sinister' than ISIS? Last year, I met with AIPAC representatives from Minnesota in my office. Do forces 'more sinister' than ISIS sit down and meet with AIPAC's advocates?"

On Twitter, McCollum rejected what she called AIPAC's "non-apology." In its statement of apology, AIPAC said the ad was poorly worded" and "inflammatory," but also said it "alluded to a genuine concern of many pro-Israel Democrats about a small but growing group, in and out of Congress, that is deliberately working to erode the bipartisan consensus."

One of the ads was illustrated by a collage of three of Israel's toughest critics in Congress, including McCollum, who is the lead sponsor of a bill that would link Israel's assistance to its treatment of Palestinian juvenile detainees.

McCollum publicly rebuked AIPAC in 2006 after a lay leader of the group lashed out at her for backing funding for the Palestinians.

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Tehran "will never negotiate under pressure," Rouhani reiterated in an address quoted by local media. Iran "will never yield to America's pressure" and will not negotiate "from a position of weakness."

The Iranian people withstood the US sanctions - re-instated in 2018 by the Trump administration following the withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord - "despite all the hardships of our nation," he said.

Although the situation is tougher than last year... all the indicators show that we have overcome the issue of maximum American pressure. Surely Americans have concluded that the path they have chosen is incorrect and will not affect [the] Iranian people.

The 'maximum pressure' policy involved freezing Iranian assets abroad, paralyzing its banking sector, and bringing its oil trade to zero.

According to Rouhani, Iran will carry on resisting "with the same strength and power next year," which will eventually see "the enemy" returning to the negotiating table.

The Iranian military industry, Khamenei proclaimed in front of Air Force commanders and other military officials, has become so viable because it didn't rely on foreign support, instead developing domestic capabilities. This approach could be extended into other industries as well, he said, according to local media.

... Despite sanctions being a criminal act, such an approach can create a lot of opportunities.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also added that Iran is not a threat to any country, but that it seeks to preserve its own security.

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Ms George, who is taking legal action against Epstein's £500 million estate to prevent his lawyers from 'hiding' his assets, told Vanity Fair magazine: 'An employee told me that he saw Prince Andrew on a balcony out at Little St James groping girls right out in the open. He said he remembered walking up to him and saying, 'Good morning, your Highness.'

In the interview with Vanity Fair on Friday, Ms George said former employees of Epstein should be released from non-disclosure agreements they had signed with him.

She claims lawyers acting for his estate have said they will only compensate his victims if they agree not to sue anyone else associate with his crimes.

'These are victims who have been raped by other people. They're trying to protect their friends and it's not fair to the victims,' she said. '

Ms George's comments come at the end of yet another bruising week for Andrew, who will celebrate his 60th birthday on Wednesday.

Last night, Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

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