In response to the violent anti-Semitic protest outside a Los Angeles shul which was targeted for hosting an event promoting the sale of real estate in Israel, CNN senior political commentator Van Jones compared the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf and the Confederate flag, sparking a meltdown in pro-Hamas circles.
Jones said, “If you show up there wearing a keffiyeh, you show up there with your face covered, you show up there chanting ‘River to the Sea,’ that would be just like a white person running up with the Confederate flag in Harlem. You’re not trying to start a conversation, you’re trying to start a fight. Stop doing that. Don’t do that.”
Mehdi Hasan, editor-in-chief of Zeteo and former MSNBC host, reacted, “Palestinian-American kids keep getting violently attacked – one of them was murdered – while mainstream media commentators say inciting/dehumanizing stuff like this.”
Wajahat Ali, a Daily Beast columnist, called Jones’ comments “an insane thing to say out loud,” while Jack Mirkinson, senior editor at The Nation, tweeted, “A keffiyeh is not, in fact, the same as a Confederate flag. You get to say the most outlandish nonsense as long as it’s about Palestine.”
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6 Responses
It was a great comparison, Kudos to Van Jones for sticking up for the rights of every citizen and for being on the right side of history, despite so much hate and evil being unfortunately so strong these days.
Finally. There’s another flag the PLO rag can be compared to also. It’s 1930’s inspiration. After years of saying it it’s nice to see so many others come to the conclusion on their own.
Wow – what a clear-headed and cogent approach. Good for him.
Not as impressed by the commentators. They clearly distance themselves from his take.
ehr redt tzum zach…
Very unfair comparison. The CNN commentator doesn’t know history very well.
No Confederates supported genocide, and many didn’t even support slavery. After October 7, it is clear that wearing a “keffiyeh” indicates advocacy for, and willingness to participate, in genocide of Jews.
A better comparison would be to the swastika.