President Biden’s nominee for a top State Department human rights position, Sarah Margon, has stepped down after facing relentless pushback from Republican legislators.
Margon was accused of supporting anti-Israel groups, specifically the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BSD) movement, which seeks to financially punish Israel for its actions against Palestinians.
Despite Margon’s denial of any support for BSD, her nomination faced tough rebuke from Republican legislators. Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, pointed to tweets Margon had made that were critical of Israel.
Specifically, in September 2021, Risch highlighted a November 2018 post in which Margon supported a boycott of West Bank settlements by Airbnb. Margon attempted to explain her tweet by saying that she believed “the private sector has an important role to play in not pursuing discriminatory practices.”
Despite Margon’s attempts to clarify her position, Risch was not convinced and announced that he would not support her nomination.
After months of no traction on her nomination, Margon decided to remove herself as a nominee. In a statement to Politico, Margon said, “I don’t see a path forward for confirmation, and after 1 ½ years, it’s time to move on.”
It is a shame that President Biden’s nominee for a top State Department human rights position was unable to move forward due to her apparent support for anti-Israel groups.
The Republican legislators were right to push back against Margon’s nomination, as the United States must always stand with our ally Israel and not support those who seek to financially punish them for their actions to protect their citizens.
This is yet another example of the Biden Administration’s troubling pattern of supporting anti-Israel voices and policies. It is time for President Biden to start standing up for our allies and stop pandering to those who seek to harm them. The United States must always support Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and our strongest ally in the region.
