Jon Ossoff broke faith with Israel - and lost his Jewish supporters in Georgia - opinion

In an opinion piece, David Zalik argues that Senator Jon Ossoff broke faith with Israel by supporting resolutions to block some weapons transfers in November 2024, leading to a loss of support among Georgia's Jewish community. The article cites rebukes from nearly 50 Jewish organizations and 22 rabbis, and criticizes Ossoff for not condemning Graham Platner and for backing Abdul El-Sayed.

In this opinion piece, David Zalik, co-founder of the Zalik Foundation, argues that Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has broken faith with Israel and, as a result, lost the support of his Jewish constituents in Georgia. Zalik recounts that in November 2024, 13 months after the October 7 attacks, Ossoff joined Bernie Sanders and others to block some weapons transfers to Israel, backing two of three resolutions to halt military equipment. Ossoff said he wanted to send a 'message to Israeli politicians,' but Zalik interprets this as a message to Jewish voters that his commitment to Israel's security was not ironclad. The article notes that nearly 50 Georgia Jewish organizations and 22 rabbis signed a formal rebuke, and that the publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times accused Ossoff of 'lying' about his support for Israel. Zalik also criticizes Ossoff for not condemning Graham Platner, a Maine Democrat with a Nazi symbol tattoo, and for backing Abdul El-Sayed, who called Israel's war 'genocide and apartheid.' The author concludes that partial loyalty is not loyalty, and that Ossoff cannot be trusted.