Sen. Chris Van Hollen pushed back against ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt after Greenblatt suggested Van Hollen's criticism of the pro‑Israel lobby AIPAC bordered on antisemitism. Van Hollen, speaking at a J Street event and later in an interview with Mehdi Hasan, said equating criticism of Israel or of political organizations with antisemitism "cheapens" the fight against real antisemitism. The dispute underscores tensions over how to criticize foreign policy and lobbying without invoking prejudice.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen Rebukes ADL Chief Jonathan Greenblatt: 'He's Losing' — Defends Criticism of AIPAC
Mehdi Hasan and Chris Van Hollen
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D–Md.) pushed back forcefully after Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt accused him of veering into antisemitic territory for criticizing a pro‑Israel lobbying group.
Background
Earlier this month, Van Hollen spoke at an event hosted by J Street, a pro‑Israel organization founded in 2007 as a more liberal, less hawkish alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The senator has emerged as one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's most outspoken critics in the Senate and previously said Netanyahu had long sought a U.S. president "stupid enough" to start a war with Iran — a remark he linked to President Donald Trump.
“I will tell you that AIPAC may call itself pro‑American. They may call themselves pro‑Israel,” Van Hollen told the J Street audience. “But they are neither. They have been a very destructive influence. And it is time to call them out. And the American people are catching on.”
Greenblatt's Response
Delivering the ADL's annual "State of Hate" address, Jonathan Greenblatt criticized Van Hollen's remarks, saying they effectively placed blame on Jewish people. Greenblatt suggested that some critics implicitly pointed to Israelis as unduly influencing U.S. policy.
“The blame, as it so often does, was placed at the feet of who else but the Jews,” Greenblatt said. “For some, they pointed fingers at the Israelis, who they claimed whispered a few too many times in President Trump’s ear.”
Van Hollen's Defense
In an interview with Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo, Van Hollen rejected Greenblatt's characterization and defended the right to criticize governments and lobbying organizations without being labeled antisemites.
Hasan asked: “Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the ADL... says that when you attacked AIPAC for lobbying on behalf of Israel... you are perpetuating antisemitism. What do you say to Jonathan Greenblatt?”
Van Hollen replied: “I say that he is undermining his own mission and a mission that I share, which is that we should be fighting and defeating antisemitism. But when he equates criticism of the government of Israel, when he equates criticism of a political organization like AIPAC with antisemitism, all he’s doing is cheapening the effort to fight real antisemitism. ... I’m hearing from a lot of folks in the Jewish community that he is undermining the very important cause which he says is his mission.”
Hasan: “Must make you mad, though, to be accused of bigotry when you’re trying to call out human rights abuses by a foreign government.”
Van Hollen: “Look, of course it does. But really, what it does is discredit any individual who pursues that line of questioning. ... If you have to respond to criticisms by essentially labeling people in that way, what it means is that you’re losing the real argument. And that is why the effect of all of this is to weaken what he says is his primary mission.”
The exchange highlights an ongoing debate within U.S. politics and the Jewish community over where to draw the line between legitimate political criticism of Israel and organizations that lobby on its behalf, and when such criticism crosses into prejudice. Van Hollen argues that conflating the two risks diluting efforts to combat genuine antisemitism.
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