California
Democrats endorse grandson of Munich terrorist for House seat
Ammar Campa-Najjar, whose grandfather helped mastermind
Olympic massacre and who has rejected his ancestor’s actions, gets nod from
state party ahead of June primary
By JTA 2 March 2018, 10:21 pm
An undated picture of Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democratic
candidate for California's 50th congressional district. (screen capture:
Facebook)
WASHINGTON — California Democrats have endorsed the
grandson of an architect of the Munich Massacre for a congressional seat.
Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Palestinian American, won the state
party convention’s endorsement last weekend for the June primary in the 50th
District, an inland district west of San Diego. Campa-Najjar has forged ties
with his local Jewish community.
Duncan Hunter, a Republican, now holds the seat.
Campa-Najjar’s grandfather was Muhammad Yusuf al-Najjar,
a mastermind of the terrorist murder of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes and coaches
at the 1972 Games in Germany. Al-Najjar was assassinated a year later by
Israeli commandos.
A member of the Palestinian terrorist group Black
September, which killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team, during the 1972
Munich Olympics. (AP/Kurt Strumpf)
Haaretz recently reported on Campa-Najjar’s candidacy,
saying he rejected his grandfather’s
terrorism. Campa-Najjar, who lived for a time as a youth in the Gaza
Strip, has said his “goal is for our generation to be better than our
predecessors, and find a way to end this conflict.”
Haaretz quoted two local rabbis who spoke of
Campa-Najjar’s commitment to Israel’s security, which he does not see as
mutually exclusive with Palestinian rights.
After the article was published, Campa-Najjar told local
news outlets that for the sake of the Israeli families of the murdered
athletes, he hoped his personal story would not be manipulated for political
purposes.
“For the sake of the victims, I hoped this tragedy
wouldn’t be politicized. But if these old wounds must be re-opened, then I pray
God gives purpose to their unspeakable pain,” he told the San Diego Tribune in
a statement. “I pray that purpose is to see peace prioritized by my generation
of Palestinians, Israelis, and the whole of humanity.”
“Palestinians and Israelis have lost too much over the
years of bloodshed, that’s why I am committed to helping broker a lasting peace
in my lifetime,” he added.
In his statement, Campa-Najjar characterized the
Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement as something that “neither side wants, but
everyone needs.”
Campa-Najjar emphasizes income inequality in his
messaging. He is an admirer of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, whose 2016 run
for the Democratic nomination made him the first Jewish candidate to win
major-party nominating contests.
Hunter, under federal investigation for alleged financial
improprieties, is also facing a slew of challengers in the Republican primary.
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