Is Randi Weingarten Using Teachers Union to Advocate for Israel?

In this short documentary, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), speaks to J Street about her support for Israel.

As she sees it, there are people on one side of a chasm who support Israel unconditionally – “never mind the occupation or democracy” – and people on the other side of the chasm who think Israel is evil and doesn’t have a right to exist, which “justifies BDS, or worse, violence and terrorism.”

The question is posed: does this position represent the teachers?

Under past AFT presidents as well as Weingarten, the union has passed a startling number of pro-Israel resolutions. She is following in their footsteps.

In a C-SPAN interview, Weingarten explained her efforts to overcome bigotry and hate among students by enlisting help from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The legitimacy of the ADL is brought into question: viewers are provided with a long list of shady dealings in which ADL has participated in the past.

The documentary suggests that “the ADL is not an entity that should be allowed to infiltrate US law enforcement or serve as a resource within the American education system.

The big question is, “Have Randi Weingarten and past AFT presidents abused their positions as leaders to co-opt the largest US teachers union into advancing the interests of a foreign country?”