Rantz: Second councilmember wants director to step down for antisemitism

A second King County councilmember is calling for controversial Office of Law Enforcement Oversight director Tamer Abouzeid to step down. The calls come after the council-appointed director defended Hamas terrorism against Israel.

“I was the SOLE vote against his confirmation and his actions to date have validated why I voted against his appointment. As the one Councilmember who voted against his hiring I, of course, want him out,” Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer emailed the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. Over the weekend, councilmember Regan Dunn called for Abouzeid to resign.

Abouzeid posted inflammatory rhetoric to his personal X, formerly known as Twitter, account, justifying Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel. But when he last came under fire for anti-Semitic tweets, which he later deleted en-masse, he was reportedly warned by the King County Council to stop posting inflammatory rhetoric.

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Defending Hamas

As Hamas terrorists were slaughtering innocent Jews, raping women, and kidnapping children and the elderly, Abouzeid was arguing that it was both necessary and just.

“Israelis don’t want to know they can be avenged after the fact, but that they can be safe. So, ironically, this may be the closest we have gotten to peace in a while, because Israel only entertains peace if it must, just like 50 years ago,” he posted. “The fact that this is happening as negotiations are ongoing for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia may just create an opening for something more comprehensive. Of course we could also see Gaza get massacred and flattened in a day. The embarrassment of Israel’s security regime and the utter lack of leadership response could result in a severe action by Israel, especially this government. Some may look at what’s happening and think it is actually a breach of peace. But peace didn’t really exist. Because as Dr. MLK, Jr. said, ‘true peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.’ I continue to pray for a peace rooted in justice.”

He went on to argue that “Resistance to invasion & occupation is an inalienable right whether you’re Ukrainian, Palestinian, or any nationality. I am praying for the liberation of Palestine and end to apartheid.”

Jason Rantz content: Kirkland Hamas rally celebrated terrorist attacks against Israel

Resistance to invasion & occupation is an inalienable right whether you’re Ukrainian, Palestinian, or any nationality. I am praying for the liberation of Palestine and end to apartheid. I am praying for minimal death and human suffering. I am praying for peace rooted in justice.

— Tamer Y. Abouzeid (@TamerLikeHammer) October 7, 2023

Dunn strikes first

Councilmember Dunn was the first to call for Abouzeid to resign.

“I am deeply disappointed that after repeated warnings, Mr. Abouzeid continues to engage in highly inflammatory rhetoric that undercuts his ability to be seen as an impartial administrator in his role of Director of Law Enforcement Oversight in King County,” Councilmember Dunn said in a statement to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.. “The director of Law Enforcement oversight is one of the most sensitive and important roles in County Government. The role requires discretion, sound judgment and the appearance of fairness. I have lost confidence in Mr. Abouzeid’s ability to do his job and I am calling for his immediate resignation.”

The remaining council members did not respond to requests for comment.

After initially indicating she would respond via email, councilmember Claudia Balducci went silent. Councilmember Sarah Perry, who has previously expressed concern with Abouzeid’s online behavior, did not respond either. But the absence of comment from the council — and King County Executive Dow Constantine — isn’t stopping one local group from joining the calls for his ouster.

When Regina Friedland, regional director for the American Jewish Committee, saw the posts, she said enough is enough.

“Attempts to justify the brutal murder, kidnapping, terror and missile attacks on innocent civilians in Israel on a personal X account, are unacceptable for a public official,” Friedland told The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “Hamas is an Iran-backed terror group that controls Gaza. They are not a government, they are terrorists. I urge the Metropolitan King County Council to remove Abouzeid as the director of the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO).”

Tamer Abouzeid has a history of anti-Semitism

Abouzeid has grown increasingly hostile on his X account.

On Monday, Abouzeid expressed anger that the world judges nonviolent and violent anti-Semitism. He seemed confused that anti-Semitism is admonished to begin with. “Y’all, they were calling us antisemites for supporting boycotts; of course they don’t give a s**t about violent v. non-violent resistance,” he tweeted. He is referencing the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement. It blames Jews for every problem in the Middle East. It is meant to economically cripple the Israeli economy so that it cannot afford to defend itself against terrorist attacks. The BDS movement has financial ties to Hamas.

Abouzeid is no stranger to defending Hamas and violent attacks on Israel. In a Letter to the Editor in an August 2001 edition of the Chicago Tribune that he allegedly wrote, titled “Not Terrorists,” saying it was “unfair” to label Palestinians that attack Israel and kill innocent Jews as “terrorists.”

“In Israel/Palestine, the Palestinians who die for their cause are called ‘terrorists’ The only reason they are called so is because their attacks are not planned by a government,” Abouzeid falsely asserted. “The Israeli army has killed more people, used heavier weapons and artillery, and left hundreds homeless–all following the commands of one man, Ariel Sharon. How, then, could the Palestinians who die proving a point that could only be proven this way be called ‘terrorists’? It is unfair.”

An image of an edited X post from Tamer Y. Abouzeid of King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO). (Image via @TamerLikeHammer on X, formerly known as Twitter)

The original X post can be seen here.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check back frequently for more news and analysis.

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