Has Tarrant County GOP Turned its Back on Israel?
By
James Scott Trimm
Our 2018 Texas Republican Party Platform declares concerning Israel:
207. Israel: We are grateful that the US Embassy in Israel has been moved to Jerusalem. We believe that Jerusalem should remain Israel’s undivided capital, accessible to people of all faiths. The United States should continue to support Israel militarily, financially, and technologically. We oppose any pressuring of Israel to make concessions they believe would jeopardize their security. We strongly oppose the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, on all levels, including and especially on college campuses, at the United Nations, and by anti-West non-governmental organizations. We believe there should not be a Palestinian state within the historical borders of Israel. Our policy is inspired by God’s biblical promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel, and we further invite other nations and organizations to enjoy the benefits of that promise.
208. Israel’s Sovereignty: We further insist upon Israel’s right to
exist, its right to secure borders, and its right to the land secured by
practicing self-defense from aggressive enemies. We strongly encourage
other nations of the world to respect Israel’s sovereignty, right of
self-determination, and right of self-defense.
One of the first acts of our new County Chair was to appoint Dr. Shahid Shafi as his Vice Chair. In recent days Dr. Shafi has failed to directly respond to requests that he himself publicly declare that he will support Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and oppose creation of a Palestinian State within the historic borders of Israel.
The rather defensive reaction from our County Chair has been that it is unfair to ask Dr. Shafi if he will make such a declaration (each element of which is in our party platform) simply because he is a Muslim:
Actually one can be a Muslim and still support Israel. In fact there is a very, very, small group of pro-Israel “Zionist” Muslims. But they are in extremely small numbers and live in fear of their lives, threatened by the vast majority. The Wikipedia article on Muslim Supporters of Israel, however, says:
In the Muslim world, support of Israel is a minority orientation, and supporters of Israel have faced opposition and violence
One wonders why such oppression and violence would come from a religion of peace.
However Dr. Shafi has been endorsed by CAIR which is well known for its anti-Israel agenda.
Our Texas Party platform says of CAIR:
177. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): We hereby call on all law enforcement and governmental agencies in Texas to avoid and suspend all contact and outreach activities with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), named unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial, with ties to terrorist groups such as Hamas.
And the ADL says of CAIR:
CAIR’s anti-Israel agenda dates back to its founding by leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a Hamas affiliated anti-Semitic propaganda organization.
I would argue that the best test as to whether a moderate Muslim is truly peaceful is the question on the existence of Israel. Radical Muslims want to wipe out Israel. Most moderate Muslims have a strong aversion to Israel and “Zionism”. Lets be clear, Israel exists in the here and now, and has existed for more than half a century, Zionism today simply means supporting Israel’s right to continue to exist. If you do not support Israel’s right to exist, it means you want to see Israel wiped off the map. So radical Muslims want to wipe Israel off the map and most moderate Muslims want to see them succeed.
This anti-Israel sentiment has infested the Democratic Party in recent years. Will it now infiltrate the Republican Party as well?
Tarrant County is the largest Republican party in Texas and the nation. If Tarrant goes, so will go the state of Texas an the nation.
Must we play the politically correct game of being intimidated from asking that question?
If Dr. Shafi himself will publicly state that he will support Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and oppose creation of a Palestenian State within the historic borders of Israel, I will not only support him, I will spread the message of his support worldwide! Yet, to date he has failed to do so.
At the September meeting of the Executive Committee, Dr. Shafi addressed the body, but completely ignored calls for him to make a public statement supporting our pro-Israel platform.
A letter is being circulated, signed by Precinct Chairs, supporting Shafi. How about a letter supporting Israel and our party platform? Even better, how about a letter signed by Shafi publicly supporting Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and opposing creation of a Palestinian state within the historic borders of Israel?
At its November meeting the Tarrant County Republican Party Executive Committee, will take up a vote on whether or not Dr. Shafi should represent our party as vice chair. Contact your Precinct Chair and let them know how you feel.
----
One of the first acts of our new County Chair was to appoint Dr. Shahid Shafi as his Vice Chair. In recent days Dr. Shafi has failed to directly respond to requests that he himself publicly declare that he will support Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and oppose creation of a Palestinian State within the historic borders of Israel.
The rather defensive reaction from our County Chair has been that it is unfair to ask Dr. Shafi if he will make such a declaration (each element of which is in our party platform) simply because he is a Muslim:
Actually one can be a Muslim and still support Israel. In fact there is a very, very, small group of pro-Israel “Zionist” Muslims. But they are in extremely small numbers and live in fear of their lives, threatened by the vast majority. The Wikipedia article on Muslim Supporters of Israel, however, says:
In the Muslim world, support of Israel is a minority orientation, and supporters of Israel have faced opposition and violence
One wonders why such oppression and violence would come from a religion of peace.
However Dr. Shafi has been endorsed by CAIR which is well known for its anti-Israel agenda.
Our Texas Party platform says of CAIR:
177. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): We hereby call on all law enforcement and governmental agencies in Texas to avoid and suspend all contact and outreach activities with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), named unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial, with ties to terrorist groups such as Hamas.
And the ADL says of CAIR:
CAIR’s anti-Israel agenda dates back to its founding by leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a Hamas affiliated anti-Semitic propaganda organization.
I would argue that the best test as to whether a moderate Muslim is truly peaceful is the question on the existence of Israel. Radical Muslims want to wipe out Israel. Most moderate Muslims have a strong aversion to Israel and “Zionism”. Lets be clear, Israel exists in the here and now, and has existed for more than half a century, Zionism today simply means supporting Israel’s right to continue to exist. If you do not support Israel’s right to exist, it means you want to see Israel wiped off the map. So radical Muslims want to wipe Israel off the map and most moderate Muslims want to see them succeed.
This was very clear at the 2012 DNC convention. Support for recognizing Jerusalem as the
capitol of Israel (which it presently is) had been removed from their party
platform, by the influence of Muslims and their allies in the DNC. This was conspicuous and a floor vote was
quickly called to reverse this and place it back in the platform, where it had
been for many years. The result of the
floor vote sounded like a no to most of us, but after it was recalled twice, it
was declared a “yes” vote over the boos of Muslim delegates, some of whom were
pictured in the broadcast showing their displeasure.
This anti-Israel sentiment has infested the Democratic Party in recent years. Will it now infiltrate the Republican Party as well?
Tarrant County is the largest Republican party in Texas and the nation. If Tarrant goes, so will go the state of Texas an the nation.
Must we play the politically correct game of being intimidated from asking that question?
If Dr. Shafi himself will publicly state that he will support Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and oppose creation of a Palestenian State within the historic borders of Israel, I will not only support him, I will spread the message of his support worldwide! Yet, to date he has failed to do so.
At the September meeting of the Executive Committee, Dr. Shafi addressed the body, but completely ignored calls for him to make a public statement supporting our pro-Israel platform.
A letter is being circulated, signed by Precinct Chairs, supporting Shafi. How about a letter supporting Israel and our party platform? Even better, how about a letter signed by Shafi publicly supporting Israel with Jerusalem as its undivided capital and opposing creation of a Palestinian state within the historic borders of Israel?
At its November meeting the Tarrant County Republican Party Executive Committee, will take up a vote on whether or not Dr. Shafi should represent our party as vice chair. Contact your Precinct Chair and let them know how you feel.
----
