Brooklyn lawmaker says ‘Palestine does not exist’, sparks backlash on Twitter

(QNN) – A Brooklyn lawmaker sparked a social media backlash Wednesday by a quote tweet denying the existence of Palestine and accusing congresswoman Ilhan Omar of being an anti-Semite.
Palestine does not exist.
There, I said it again.
Also, Congresswoman Omar is an antisemite. Said that too.
Thanks for following me. https://t.co/apM565HoEV— Kalman Yeger ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם (@KalmanYeger) March 27, 2019
Councilman Kalman Yeger, who represents Midwood and other neighborhoods with large Jewish populations, started the thread after quoting a tweet for Omar where she denounced comments and criticism against her by the Israeli PM Netanyahu at the AIPAC conference, and accusing her of anti-Semitism
You're an antisemite and a member of Congress. It's not strange that you'd be mentioned. Anyway, what are you complaining about? It's what you want. https://t.co/e5XTRixub5
— Kalman Yeger ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם (@KalmanYeger) March 26, 2019
Yeger’s tweet that denied the existence of Palestine was a direct response to a post by Zainab Iqbal, a writer for the blog Bklyner, who had posted a story she wrote in March 2018 citing Yeger’s previous anti-Palestine remarks.
brooklyn council member calls ilhan omar an antisemite. this is the same council member who has repeatedly said that palestine does not exist and refers to them as “so-called palestinians”https://t.co/lfdaUf1Nsx https://t.co/uOTziGwih3
— zainab iqbal (@planetzainab) March 27, 2019
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson responded to the social media storm Wednesday with a tweet denouncing Yeger’s comments, calling them “unhelpful and unwelcome.”
“Comments like these do not do anything to advance the dialogue needed to foster a peaceful solution which is something we should all be working toward,” Johnson said in a screen-captured message.
We should all be working towards a peaceful two state solution for Israel and Palestine that respects the dignity of both the Palestinian and Israeli people. pic.twitter.com/0Ypsp9QfFT
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) March 27, 2019
Palestinian-American poet and writer Remi Kanazi described Yeger’s comments as “racism” and called for a wide condemnation for such hate speech.
Palestinians are smeared, vilified, and often just simply erased.
This is racism, like any form of racism.
This should receive the widest condemnation possible, but unfortunately won't be chastised for the hatred it is. https://t.co/1NMwa7SQJe
— Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) March 27, 2019