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KTTH OPINION

Rantz: Resignation calls after director defends terrorism against Israel

Oct 7, 2023, 12:59 PM | Updated: Oct 9, 2023, 6:27 pm

Israel terrorist attack...

Tamer Abouzeid, Director of the King County Office of Legislative Oversight (Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

(Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

Tamer Abouzeid, the controversial director of the King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight, is again defending terrorism against Israel. After being warned against posting inflammatory comments on social media, one council member is calling for his “immediate resignation.”

Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas waged a against Israel out of Gaza, invading southern Israel on a major Jewish holiday. They launched at least 5,000 rockets, murdered scores of innocent Israelis, including women, the elderly, and children, and took others hostage. Bodies were desecrated. Mohammad Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, called their terrorist attack “the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth” on Hamas media.

Hamas apparently has a friend in Abouzeid who spent hours Saturday morning on X (formerly known as Twitter), justifying the terrorist attack and murders.

(Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

King County’s radical director sides with terrorists over Israel

When the unprecedented assault on Israel began, Abouzeid made it clear that he thought it was justified. He believes that Israel is an occupier and oppressor.

“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,” Abouzeid on his personal and public account.

Over the next several hours, Abouzeid posted his own thoughts while reposting those of others, including Hamas-sympathizing accounts. He called the attack on Israel the only way to get to peace because “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.” (The Yom Kippur War’s anniversary was October 6.)

Abouzeid then argued that Israel defending itself against the attack from inside Gaza would be an overreaction. He said, “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.”

Tamer Abouzeid reposts extremist anti-Semitic accounts

Abouzeid didn’t only justify the terrorist attacks against Jews with his own words. He reposted virulently anti-Semitic activists doing the same.

He reposted Marwa Fatafta, an activist supporting Hamas, claiming Israel commits “unspeakable war crimes, crimes against humanity” (comments made as Hamas militants were murdering children). He amplified far-left activist Mohammed El-Kurd, who said Israel brought this on itself: “What is happening in occupied Palestine is a response to weeks and months and years of daily Israeli military invasions into Palestinian towns, killings of Palestinians, and the very fact that millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are besieged under Israeli blockade.” Of course, he managed to amplify false claims that Israel is an apartheid state, too.

Abouzeid also “liked” tweets that promoted the terrorist attack against Israel and Jews, including one message that said the terrorist attack was justified because “what’s [sic] should people do? land acknowledgments?”

The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH did not reach out to Abouzeid for comment because I am Jewish and seek to keep interactions with anti-Semites to a minimum. But I did reach out to the King County Council and the Executive’s Office.

(Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

More from Jason Rantz: Director who investigates police under fire for bashing cops

Mostly silence from county officials

The King County Council previously warned Abouzied against divisive postings after discovering he posted a series of anti-police and anti-Semitic tweets in March 2023.

At the time, the King County Council chose not to take action beyond the warning, though privately, councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Sarah Perry expressed concern over his conduct. This time, there is a call for resignation.

“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.”

No other council member responded to a weekend request for comment (councilmember Balducchi acknowledged receipt of the email but was at an event at the time). Executive Dow Constantine’s office, similarly, did not respond. This story will be updated if any other council member responds.

(Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

Taxpayers are paying to employ an anti-Semite

Abouzeid is a county employee in a position overseeing the King County Sheriff’s Office. Ironically, the man who says he wants to address violence by law enforcement is himself justifying brutal attacks against innocent Jews. And how can any Jewish officer get an honest appraisal by Abouzeid?

As alarming, Abouzeid is showing a pattern of anti-Semitic sentiment. Should taxpayers fund his position?

When Regina Friedland, regional director for the , 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).”

Often, anti-Semites defend themselves against accusations of being hateful by arguing they’re merely criticizing policy (though the policy they criticize is always one around Israel’s right to defend itself). This time, he can’t make that claim.

Abouzeid is justifying a terrorist attack. If he spoke of black, transgender, or any other protected class of people the way he talks about Jews, would the county sit back and say nothing? They claim to be about tolerance. Now would be a good time to back their words.

Abouzeid pretends to be the victim

Abouzeid initially turned his account private after the March controversy and deleted upwards of thousands of tweets. But months later, he turned his account back online.

With the help of a puff piece in the Seattle Times, Abouzeid earned some positive press. In the feature, he portrayed himself as a victim, accusing me of criticizing him because he’s Muslim. Left-wing reporter Mike Carter dismissed my concerns, claiming I was critical of “Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and oppression of Palestinians.” He did not note that I am Jewish for context.

It should not be difficult to condemn a terrorist attack, unless you don’t like the people who are the victims. And it’s easy to so casually justify violence against innocent Jews when you don’t fear any repercussions.

(Photo obtained by The Jason Rantz Show)

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 ,Ìý, and . Check back frequently for more news and analysis.

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Rantz: Resignation calls after director defends terrorism against Israel