Georgia Republican Representative and known conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene was harshly criticized after she made an awkward joke about "Jewish lasers" as the Israel-Hamas war escalates.
Hamas initiated a shocking attack on Israel earlier this month, prompting Israel to declare war and retaliate. Israeli authorities have reported dozens of captives held hostage in Gaza, although precise numbers remain unconfirmed. Hamas claimed that it was holding more than 100 hostages.
Since then, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Gaza as Israel prepares to invade the area in a bid to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle its leadership. Millions of people lack food, water, and electricity amid an Israeli siege and thousands of casualties have been inflicted on both sides of a conflict that has upset the delicate balance of power in the Middle East.
Into this crisis waded Greene, who once again made a comment about "Jewish space lasers" by sharing a Wall Street Journal video from last year on Israel’s experimental laser-beam defense against missiles that was shared by far-right pundit Jack Posobiec.
Greene said:
"Love Jewish laserrs. Space or land. Zap 'em!"
You can see her post below.
Greene's post is particularly egregious because of her history of peddling antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Most notably, Greene has refused to accept responsibility for a now-infamous Facebook post she made suggesting the California wildfires could be attributed to a wealthy Jewish family using space lasers to ignite them.
Greene was widely condemned for espousing the belief that the 2018 California wildfires were not caused by climate change but by some kind of "space laser" that had set the state ablaze.
She said Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E) and renewable energy startup Solaren sent solar power generators to space funded by the Rothschilds, a family of Ashkenazi Jewish billionaires who have often been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Greene has never been repudiated by the GOP for her remarks and has previously been called out for likening vaccine mandates to being Jewish during the Holocaust as well as for her public association with neo-Nazis at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), which is widely known as a gathering for White nationalists and White supremacists.
Many have condemned her words.
Greene has expressed her support for the deportation of Hamas supporters from the U.S. following the recent attack by the militant group on Israel in early October.
Greene took to X, formerly Twitter, to convey her stance on deporting Hamas supporters. Her response was triggered by a post from Stephen Miller, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, who called for the revocation of visas for those identified as Hamas "supporters."
In her reply, Greene concurred with Miller's proposal, and then added a more extensive suggestion:
"I agree. And I'd like to add many more to the deportation list. Millions actually."
However, the exact number of Hamas supporters in the United States remains uncertain.
Public polling on support for Hamas is notably lacking, although recent surveys have indicated widespread sympathy for Israel after the attack.
A CNN poll conducted from October 12 to 13, involving 1,003 Americans, revealed that only four percent of respondents stated they felt no sympathy for the Israeli people. It is worth noting that the poll did not specifically inquire about support for Hamas.
