Laurie Osher is an American politician, who was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2020. She has been visiting Israel and meeting with LGBTQ organizations funded by a Wider Bridge, an organization that has “a goal of connecting LGBT communities in the US and Israel and advocating for LGBT rights in Israel.”
A commenter questioned her about the PA’s treatment of gays, to which she responded:
She was then asked by another commenter whether she condemns the PA for their treatment of the LGBTQ community. She refused to do so:
Osher followed this up by deleting the comments and banning both commenters from her page. Alas, screenshots and a commenter contacting me to inform me of this treatment.
But it did not end there. Osher also naturally visited the PA-controlled areas:
She was then questioned why there is a refugee camp in the PA controlled territories, to which she responded that it is under Israeli control. This is not true, and she was rightly corrected:
This comment was also deleted and the commenter blocked from the page. Alas, screenshots and a commenter contacting me to inform me of this treatment.
And it gets worse.
Rami Nazzal runs the anti-Israel Beyond Borders Tours. So although a guest of Wider Bridge, she chose an anti-Israel tour guide. Not only that, but he is also a NY Times reporter. I am not sure how ethical it is for such a person to be a reporter with an anti-Israel agenda and also for this politician to hire him as her tour guide. Actually, I am pretty sure it is not ethical.
Last year, Osher was one of a group of Maine lawmakers who condemned the participation of a state Representative in an event hosted by a man who has made several antisemitic claims. In 2010, she also alleged antisemitism may have been one of the factors behind her not being granted tenure at the University of Maine, before waiving this argument:
For someone supposedly sensitive about antisemitism and pro-LGBTQ rights, she sure seems ok doing her part to silence Jewish commenters asking legitimate questions, while refusing to condemn the antisemitic and anti-gay PA.
