A lawmaker who once feared Guam would capsize because of overpopulation is now comparing Jewish settlers to termites.
A member of the House Armed Services Committee made the offensive remark while speaking at an event sponsored by an anti-Israel organization that supports boycotts of the Jewish state.
Representative Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, launched into a tirade against Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians, comparing Jewish people who live in disputed territories to “termites” that destroy homes.
Here’s a quote from his tirade: “There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming,”
Johnson also compared Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a remark that drew vocal agreement from those in the room.
The event was sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, an anti-Israel organization that galvanizes supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS.
In addition to his fears about Guam, Johnson is also on record as saying that “Jewish people” routinely steal land and property from Palestinians.