Real motive behind anti-Semitism bill?

My congressman Peter Roskam (IL-6) has proposed legislation, The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, designed to broaden the Dept. of Education's anti-Semitism criteria.

Read a summary and it's likely the bill is part of the campaign to de-legitimize any criticism of Israel's massive settlement construction in occupied Palestinian land which is rapidly foreclosing the creation of a Palestinian state.

College campuses are in the forefront of efforts to end these illegal and immoral settlements which inexorably spell doom for the basic humanitarian rights of Palestinians in the West Bank and justice for Palestinians under economic blockade in Gaza. The legislation includes vague, catch-all phrases like "harassment of Israel" and "requiring of Israel a behavior not demanded of any other nation" which are utilized to quash legitimate protest of undeniable inhumane treatment of Palestinians.

If Roskam were truly concerned about rising anti-Semitism, we'd expect him to focus his efforts on disturbing trends unleashed by hate wing of Donald Trump supporters, including speech by The Donald himself. Evidence? Trump stirred up the haters with traditional anti-Semitic code talk of "international banks/" "global power structures" and "those who control the levers of power." This provocative and disturbing pattern flows directly from the anti-Semitic alt-right playbook of Trump advisers like Steve Bannon, who referred to Trump critics Bill Kristol as a "renegade Jew" and Anne Applebaum as a "Polish, Jewish, American elitist." Roskam not only ignores such hate speech, he embraced Trump as a "wild card" who deserved to be president.

Could it be that Trump's unconditional support for the extreme right wing Israeli government's Palestinian policy caused Roskam to totally ignore the anti-Semitic strain in the Trump phenomenon? Illinois Sixth District voters should get informed - and make up their own minds.

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn