Minnesota delegation responds to Obama’s Libya speech

Several members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation were quick to respond to President Obama’s Monday night speech on military action in Libya. Rep. John Kline called for more clarity while Rep. Betty McCollum said the Libyan people must remove Qaddafi. Rep. Michele Bachmann, always prepared to throw verbal bombs at the president, said that “President Obama is taking sides with Palestine over Israel” by supporting NATO action in Libya.

Bachmann: ‘Dinosaur’ Helen Thomas should be fired

In a strongly worded blog post on Saturday, Rep. Michele Bachmann called on Hearst Newspapers to fire reporter Helen Thomas over her statements regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Thomas’ call for Israel to leave Palestinian areas has generated criticism from…

Back from Mid-East, Ellison talks Israel-Gaza

Rep. Keith Ellison sat down with TCJewFolk.com, a “Twin Cities Hub for Hip Jewish Stuff,” to talk about his recent trips to Israel and Gaza. Ellison said that a…

Ellison gets top spot on Middle East scorecard

A New Policy PAC, whose motto is “Peace in the Middle East is in America’s National Interest,” put out a scorecard rating Congress members’ commitment to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is ranked number one.

Ellison, McCollum and Oberstar urge Obama to lift Gaza blockade

Democratic U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, and James Oberstar sent a letter urging President Obama late last week urging him to use diplomatic pressure to resolve the blockade affecting Gaza. Spearheaded by Ellison and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., the letter acknowledges the difficult position facing Israel and notes that the blockade is strengthening Hamas. Fifty members of Congress, as well as a number of religious groups and denominations, have signed on to Ellison’s letter.

Did Bachmann read the Goldstone report before condemning it?

On Thursday, Rep. Michele Bachmann condemned the Goldstone report, a United Nations-commissioned report on possible war crimes during the Israel-Palestine conflict in the Gaza strip in 2008 and 2009. But it is clear from her press release that…

Ellison urges caution when condemning Goldstone report

Rep. Keith Ellison is urging members of Congress not to scrap the Goldstone report (pdf) on war crimes allegedly committed during the conflict culminating in December 2008 and January 2009 between Hamas and Israel.…

Rep. Ellison refrained from voting on Gaza resolution because it ‘barely mentions’ human suffering in Gaza

Rep. Keith Ellison, one of 22 U.S. Representatives to vote “present” on the non-binding resolution supporting Israel’s attacks on Gaza over the past 14 days, gave this speech on the House floor on Friday:

Madame Speaker, I come to

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With two exceptions, Minnesota’s congressional members approve of Israel’s Gaza siege

As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives approved, by an overwhelming 390-5 bipartisan vote, a non-binding resolution “[r]ecognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel, and…

Rep. Bachmann’s statement of support for Israel

In defending her vote in favor of a non-binding resolution in support of Israel and its air and ground strikes against targets in Gaza, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann today said:

“The current conflict in Gaza has drawn worldwide

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