[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                                

 
              THE AGENTS OF ANTISEMITISM IN LATIN AMERICA

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                   SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE

                                 OF THE

                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                             MARCH 7, 2024

                               __________

                           Serial No. 118-87

                               __________

        Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
        
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             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
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                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

                   MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Chairman

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey     GREGORY MEEKS, New York, Ranking 
JOE WILSON, South Carolina               Member
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania            BRAD SHERMAN, California
DARRELL ISSA, California             GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
ANN WAGNER, Missouri                 WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
BRIAN MAST, Florida                  AMI BERA, California
KEN BUCK, Colorado                   JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee              DINA TITUS, Nevada
MARK E. GREEN, Tennessee             TED LIEU, California
ANDY BARR, Kentucky                  SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
RONNY JACKSON, Texas                 DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
YOUNG KIM, California                COLIN ALLRED, Texas
MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida        ANDY KIM, New Jersey
BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan              SARA JACOBS, California
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN,       KATHY MANNING, North Carolina
    American Samoa                   SHEILA CHERFILUS-McCORMICK, 
FRENCH HILL, Arkansas                        Florida
WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio                GREG STANTON, Arizona
JIM BAIRD, Indiana                   MADELEINE DEAN, Pennsylvania
MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida               JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida
THOMAS KEAN, JR., New Jersey         JONATHAN JACKSON, Illinois
MICHAEL LAWLER, New York             SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California
CORY MILLS, Florida                  JIM COSTA, California
RICH McCORMICK, Georgia              JASON CROW, Colorado
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas               BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois
JOHN JAMES, Michigan
KEITH SELF, Texas

 
                                     

                     Brenda Shields, Staff Director
                    Sophia Lafargue, Staff Director
                                 ------                                

                   Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere

                     MARIA SALAZAR, Florida, Chair
MARK GREEN, Tennessee                JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas, Ranking 
BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan                  Member
WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio
KEITH SELF, Texas
JOHN JAMES, Michigan

                                     GREG STANTON, Arizona
                                     JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida
                                     SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California

                      Ricardo Pita, Staff Director
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               WITNESSES

Lipstadt, Hon. Deborah, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-
  Semitism, Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 
  Anti-Semitism, U.S. Department of State........................     8

                                APPENDIX

Hearing Notice...................................................    25
Hearing Minutes..................................................    27
Hearing Attendance...............................................    28

            RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

Responses to questions submitted for the record..................    29


              THE AGENTS OF ANTISEMITISM IN LATIN AMERICA

                        Thursday, March 7, 2024

                          House of Representatives,
            Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere,
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:54 p.m., in 
room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Maria Elvira 
Salazar (chair of the subcommittee) presiding.
    Ms. Salazar. The Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere 
will come to order and the purpose of this hearing is to 
discuss the rise of antisemitism in Latin America and the 
responses of the governments in the region to the ongoing war 
in Israel and the impact of these responses on our U.S. foreign 
policy objectives in the region.
    And now I'm going to recognize myself for an opening 
statement. So October 7th of 2023 is the day that we live in 
infamy in the history of the Jewish people.
    October 7th was the deadliest day for the Jews since the 
Holocaust in 1945--when it ended in 1945. Since that fateful 
day Latin America, what's happening in the continent, what we 
are seeing is an explosion of antisemitism.
    Specifically, three Latin American countries--Colombia, 
Honduras, and Chile--recalled their Ambassadors to Israel 
shortly after Israel began defending itself.
    Bolivia cutoff diplomatic relations with Israel, completely 
accusing Israel of crimes against humanity. Colombia--President 
Gustavo Petro compared Israel to the Nazis saying that they 
treated Gaza like the Warsaw Ghetto. In addition, Mr. Petro 
said Colombia will stop buying weapons from Israel.
    Honduras. The shadow president of the country Manuel 
Zelaya, the husband of the actual president, said that you are 
not human and a criminal if you take the side of Israel.
    Brazil. President Gustavo Lula da Silva said that Israel is 
repeating the Holocaust and that Israelis are the new Nazis of 
this era.
    Chile. President Gabriel Boric just banned Israel from 
Latin America's largest aerospace fair.
    Mexico. President AMLO--Lopez Obrador--recalled the Mexican 
ambassador to Israel and it is supporting the persecution of 
Israel in an international court.
    It's obvious that for what we have--it's obvious that for 
what we have seen and to what's happening in the hemisphere the 
fact that in Brazil alone there has been a 1,000 percent 
increase in antisemitic attacks in the last few months.
    This is not the first time that these leaders, 
unfortunately, have spoken or have shown their prejudice 
against the State of Israel. Let me just give you another 
couple of examples.
    In 2014 President Petro from Colombia retweeted a comment 
calling someone a Jud!a asquerosa. That means in Spanish a 
disgusting Jew.
    In 2019 Gabriel Boric--again, the president of Chile--
returned a jar of honey the Jewish community of that country 
had sent to him in a gesture of friendship and he said, ``Why 
don't you stop stealing the land of the Arabs instead?''
    It is despicable, as I'm sure you agree, that the heads of 
State have these type of opinions but it's even more concerning 
to us that these leaders or these leaders that I just mentioned 
are the favorite partners of the Biden Administration in the 
Western Hemisphere.
    In the meantime, other countries like Paraguay, Guatemala, 
and the Dominican Republic they have condemned the Hamas attack 
in the most forceful terms and have stood with Israel at 
international forums around the world.
    But, unfortunately, they have received little thanks from 
the Biden Administration. Now, what does that say? What type of 
message does that send that some of the enemies of Israel are 
the friends of the American White House and that standing with 
Israel does not get you too much gratitude or too much 
friendship under the Biden Administration?
    It is worrisome that under this administration being on 
board with the woke agenda seems a little bit more important 
than being on board with the right side of history.
    We're supposed to support Israel around the world. Let's 
fix this starting right here in our own hemisphere with our own 
White House.
    I yield back.
    Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairwoman.
    Good afternoon, everyone.
    Ms. Salazar. Now I recognize the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Texas Mr. Castro, for any statements that he may 
have. Thank you.
    Mr. Castro. Thank you. Thank you, Chairwoman, for convening 
this very timely hearing to discuss the work of the Department 
of State in monitoring and countering antisemitism in Latin 
America and the Caribbean, and thank you to Ambassador Lipstadt 
for your important work and your service at the State 
Department.
    Latin America, like the United States, has been a place of 
refuge for so many fleeing persecution across the world and 
that shared history is reflected in the robust and deeply 
rooted Jewish communities across our Western Hemisphere, in the 
United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and 
so many other countries, many of whom fled persecution and 
antisemitism in other parts of the world.
    Too many of those Jewish communities continue to face 
persecution, discrimination, and antisemitism, and I appreciate 
the department's work in monitoring and combating antisemitism 
in the region.
    This year marks the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing in 
Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Hezbollah killed 85 people and 
injured hundreds more. This attack, at the time the deadliest 
attack against the Jewish community since the Holocaust, has 
left a deep and tragic legacy.
    These families and the larger Jewish community deserve 
justice for these acts of terror and the United States must 
continue to support efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
    And in the wake of the October 7 attacks by Hamas and 
Israel's subsequent response antisemitic rhetoric in Latin 
America has been used recently by a variety of government 
officials and social groups on both the right and the left of 
the ideological spectrum.
    It's, sadly, a global trend that during times of domestic 
and international turmoil the scapegoating of and hatred toward 
Jewish people is exploited for political gain.
    Officials from both the United States and the Organization 
of American States have publicly raised the alarm on rising 
antisemitism in the region, calling it, quote, ``a tsunami.''
    In Peru, right-wing extremists have targeted a prominent 
Peruvian Jewish journalist by screaming antisemitic chants 
outside his home including showing posters of rats holding bags 
of money.
    Just a few years ago a right-wing movement almost 
catapulted a far-right candidate, the son of a German Nazi 
Party member who fought in World War II and then fled to South 
America, to the presidency--almost to the presidency of Chile.
    Just this December Argentina's new president Javier Milei 
appointed although Mr. Rodolfo Barra to be the country's lead 
prosecutor. Mr. Barra is a man with a neo-Nazi past who 
belonged to a right-wing group responsible for hundreds of 
antisemitic actions including attacks against synagogues, a 
violent riot in a Jewish neighborhood, and the murder of a 
Jewish lawyer. He will now be responsible for prosecuting any 
individuals involved in antisemitism or violence against 
Argentina's significant Jewish community.
    We have also seen left-leaning leaders in the region make 
inflammatory statements as well.
    Last May the Biden Administration also announced the first 
ever national strategy to counter antisemitism which includes 
collaboration with the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor 
and Combat Anti-Semitism, which our witness now leads.
    The strategy laid out two issues for the State Department, 
a report documenting promising overseas programs, policies, and 
actions that counter antisemitism and working with the Treasury 
Department to financial institutions to prevent hate groups 
from raising money through crowdfunding websites.
    During this hearing I look forward to hearing how the State 
Department is working to implement the President's interagency 
strategy. In drafting the interagency strategy the President 
also made an important decision to acknowledge that, quote, 
``there are several definitions of antisemitism which serve as 
valuable tools to raise awareness and increase understanding of 
antisemitism.''
    The national strategy to counter antisemitism recognize 
that, quote, ``in order to confront and counter antisemitism 
Americans must recognize and understand it.''
    It noted that, quote, ``there are several definitions which 
serve as valuable tools to raise awareness and increase 
understanding.''
    But, critically, the strategy focused on action to counter 
antisemitism rather than debate over definitions that sap 
energy from urgent action.
    I understand that your office, which was established before 
President Biden's interagency strategy was released, solely 
uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working 
definition of antisemitism and does not use other definitions 
such as the Nexus document that may be appropriate to the 
context of the countries that you're working in.
    A core function of your office is helping other countries 
including in Latin America establish mechanisms and law to 
counter and effectively counter antisemitism.
    I asked that in your and your office's work to follow the 
President's lead and focus on holding other governments 
accountable for concrete action to combat antisemitism instead 
of codifying definitions.
    Myself and several of my colleagues worry that countries 
can take advantage of the outsized focus on definitions to 
avoid taking concrete and practical action to protect Jewish 
people in Latin America.
    In preparing for today's hearing I was reflecting on the 
diversity of cultures, races, religions, ethnicities--and 
ethnicities that exist in our hemisphere and how Jewish 
communities are an important pillar of our society that deserve 
to live in peace and security and I look forward to working 
with you on that effort.
    I yield back, Chairwoman.
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Mr. Castro.
    Now, other members of the committee are reminded that 
opening statements may be submitted for the record.
    Today we have a witness from State Department who works on 
the issues of combating antisemitism globally including Latin 
America.
    The Honorable Deborah Lipstadt is the special envoy to 
monitor and combat Anti-Semitism for the Office of the Special 
Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the State 
Department, or at the Department of State.
    Thank you very much for being here with us. Your full 
statement will be made part of the record and I'll ask each of 
you to keep your spoken remarks to 5 minutes and to the rest of 
my colleagues in order to allow time for member questions.
    I now recognize you, Madam Ambassador Lipstadt, for your 
opening statements.

 STATEMENT OF HON. DEBORAH LIPSTADT, SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR 
   AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM, OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL ENVOY TO 
   MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

    Ms. Lipstadt. Thank you very much, Chairwoman Salazar, 
Ranking Member Castro, and members of the Subcommittee. I 
really welcome this opportunity to discuss the increase of 
antisemitism in the Western Hemisphere and the State 
Department's active engagement in the region.
    Anti-Semitism is more than solely a threat to Jews and 
Jewish communities. But if it were just that that would be 
enough. Governments have the responsibility to protect their 
citizens and protect particularly members of minority and 
vulnerable groups from discrimination and violence.
    But antisemitism is more than just a threat to Jews. It is 
a multilevel threat to well-being--to national well-being to 
democracy, national security, and stability.
    Today I want to talk specifically about our many efforts in 
the Western Hemisphere to monitor and combat antisemitism, 
which has become even more urgent, as you mentioned in your 
opening statements, since October 7th.
    The Jewish community organizations in Brazil recorded, 
again, as you mentioned, a 961 percent increase in antisemitic 
incidents during October 23 compared to the same period in 
2022.
    In Argentina there were more than a hundred reported 
antisemitic incidents in January 2024 alone, representing a 600 
percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
    The ADL also reports that synagogues, grocery stores, 
streets, restaurants, and schools in Brazil, Canada, Chile, 
Mexico, and Peru, amongst others, were defaced, vandalized, 
received bomb threats, and targeted with gunfire.
    This is only the beginning of a long list of recorded 
antisemitic incidents in the region within the past few months. 
The Western Hemisphere has become a key focus of our efforts, 
my and my team's efforts, to combat rising global antisemitism 
for quite some time.
    My deputy Aaron Keyak and I have visited numerous countries 
in the region since my swearing in to convey the message that 
the U.S. Government takes antisemitism seriously and urges 
governments, communities, law enforcement to do the same.
    As part of my first international trip in office I traveled 
to Argentina in July 22 to be present for the 28th anniversary 
of the attacks against the Argentine Israel Mutual Association, 
AMIA, a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 
85 people and injured hundreds.
    We also went to Chile to meet with Jewish community 
representatives, government officials, and participated in 
interfaith dialog.
    I might mention that until October 7th the bombing of the 
AMIA building in Buenos Aires was the largest and most 
significant attack on any Jewish community since the Holocaust. 
Sadly, that's been eclipsed.
    This past December I traveled to Canada and my deputy 
finished an extensive trip to Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. I 
plan on returning to the region later this year.
    In Canada I met with my Canadian counterpart Special Envoy 
in Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Anti-Semitism 
Deborah Lyons. I met with local law enforcement, university 
representatives, and the Jewish community.
    In short, Jews throughout the hemisphere are not only 
feeling unsafe but are now taking active measures to ensure 
their safety.
    For example, a third-generation Jewish deli owner in 
Montreal shared that his partners implored him not to decorate 
the windows of the deli for Hanukkah because they feared the 
restaurant being vandalized.
    A Jewish student asked me what he should tell fellow 
students when they ask if it is safe to come--for them to come 
to campus. We and our mission in Canada continue to work 
closely with our Canadian partners.
    But I also want to talk and stress our on-the-ground 
observations and efforts in Latin America. Although overall 
levels of violent incidents reported in Latin America are far 
lower than in Europe and the United States the Jewish community 
in Latin America has faced a rise in antisemitism since the 
October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks.
    We have seen and heard from leaders in the--from community 
members--Jewish community members in the region of their deep 
concern.
    We have seen leaders in the region perpetuate antisemitic 
tropes online and conflate criticism of Israel's policies with 
anti-Jewish hatred, singling out local Jewish communities.
    Now, I stress, of course, that criticism of the policies of 
the state--of the government of the State of Israel are not, of 
course, necessarily antisemitic.
    However, holding all Jews responsible globally for policy 
disagreements with Jerusalem is antisemitic. In October 2023 we 
publicly called out Colombian President Petros' offensive and 
inflammatory remarks comparing the Israeli government's actions 
to the Hitler regime.
    Recently my deputy met with a top Venezuelan opposition 
leader who has faced decades of antisemitism by Maduro 
supporters because of his Jewish roots. We publicly called this 
out and declared support for him and others who face hatred 
because of their religious or ethnic background.
    We are deeply disappointed that some Latin American 
countries including, as you mentioned, Bolivia have chosen to 
suspend or cut diplomatic relations with Israel since the 
Israel-Hamas conflict and that some others including Honduras, 
Chile, and Colombia recalled their respective Ambassadors to 
Israel for consultations.
    We do not believe that reducing diplomatic channels works 
toward our shared goal of promoting a long-term solution to the 
crisis. When my deputy traveled to Chile in December 2023 he 
had conversations with high-level government officials and 
urged them to engage with the local Jewish community at the 
highest level.
    While the need for vigilance remains essential there are 
also some signs that some are moving in the right direction. 
Argentina has shown leadership in the fight against 
antisemitism.
    In addition to being the only Latin American country that 
is a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance 
Alliance--IHRA--Argentina is also the first country in the 
region to appoint a special representative for the fight 
against antisemitism, Ambassador Fabiana Loguzzo.
    My deputy had the honor of speaking alongside her and 
Fernando Lottenberg, Organization of American States--OAS--
commissioner to combat antisemitism at the American Jewish 
Committee Conference in Santiago in December 2023.
    Their voices to educate the public and combat antisemitism 
in the region are vital, especially now. We meet frequently 
with Commissioner Lottenberg, the OAS and our U.S. Ambassadors 
to see how we can work together.
    Unfortunately, Commissioner Lottenberg does not have the 
designated funding, which limits the reach of his office. 
Nonetheless, I want to commend him because even with such 
limited resources----
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Lipstadt follows:]

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    Ms. Salazar. Madam Ambassador, sorry I'm interrupting. You 
are 3 minutes over.
    Ms. Lipstadt. OK.
    Ms. Salazar. And I would like to--and I have your remarks. 
We can always submit them for the record.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Fine. No problem.
    Ms. Salazar. But we would like to give the opportunity to 
the other members and to myself to start a line of questioning. 
So thank you.
    Ms. Lipstadt. You're welcome.
    Ms. Salazar. And I have been following--I just--I'm going 
to recognize myself for 5 minutes and then give the opportunity 
to the rest of the committee. OK.
    When you travel to these countries in Latin America you are 
the American representative. You know, American--the United 
States is highly regarded by all these countries. Whether they 
like us or not they need us, right.
    So you are the American representative. So what is it--what 
are the consequences for a Petro or a Lula or a Zelaya to be 
insulting Israel, one of our most important allies in the 
Middle East?
    Do they think that there is going to be any type of 
consequences from the American government if they were to 
behave that way? Because when the president of a country speaks 
then that gives license, gives a patent or an open door to all 
the other members of that society that hate Israel to come up 
and say something or do something.
    So what are the consequences?
    Ms. Lipstadt. It's an excellent question.
    First of all, when I go to these countries, my deputy goes 
to these countries, or when I meet with their representatives 
here we unequivocally indicate that such statements are out of 
bounds.
    When President----
    Ms. Salazar. What do they respond?
    Ms. Lipstadt. They listen----
    Ms. Salazar. For instance, in Brazil--you went to Brazil. 
You went to Chile. You didn't go to Colombia.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Not yet.
    Ms. Salazar. So what happened with Brazil, the most 
important Latin American country in size?
    Ms. Lipstadt. When President Lula made his statement 
comparing Israel's actions to Hitler's----
    Ms. Salazar. That's pretty bad, isn't it?
    Ms. Lipstadt. I would say it's almost as bad as it gets. I 
can't think of it getting much worse.
    Ms. Salazar. All right. So what did you say?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, at that point he was in Africa as was 
the Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
    Ms. Salazar. What did his people say?
    Ms. Lipstadt. And they met, and I know that in their 
meeting Secretary Blinken called him out for having said that 
and in fact he did so within the context of his personal 
history because as you probably--you may well know his 
stepfather was a survivor of the Holocaust, the very 
prominent----
    Ms. Salazar. But, apparently, he has forgotten.
    So cutting to the chase so what are the consequences coming 
from the United States to these countries if they continue 
attacking and creating this antisemitism situation in the 
countries?
    Ms. Lipstadt. We continue to call them out.
    Ms. Salazar. That's all we do, call them out. Call them 
out.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, I'm not sure. I think privately we 
indicate that this is something that is very troubling to us 
and very disturbing, that we disagree with it.
    Often we will call it out as having crossed the IHRA 
definition and therefore being anti--no question that they are 
antisemitic, and the further consequences my colleagues in the 
State Department, I hope, followup--we expect followup on that.
    But we let them know that this is something we take 
seriously. You can't just make statements like these and think, 
OK, I can get away with it.
    In fact, one of the things we say in combating antisemitism 
when other heads of State, foreign ministers, Ambassadors, ask 
us what they should do one of the primary things we say is the 
head of the government--the leaders--have to call it out 
unequivocally, immediately, and without reservations.
    Ms. Salazar. And you understand that those--and I agree 
with what you're saying but they have been invited to the White 
House and they have been treated very nicely even though some 
of those leaders in Latin America, even though you're sending 
that message.
    So it's contradictory.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, I would hope----
    Ms. Salazar. Have you advised the White House?
    Ms. Lipstadt. I don't want to speak specifically on what 
advice I've given privately but what I would say is that when 
we encounter them, especially if they have made such outrageous 
statements as they have made and as you have indicated and I've 
indicated as well, that this is not something that we find 
acceptable and, in fact, as I like to talk about it--and I've 
been meeting also with members of our intelligence community to 
help educate them about antisemitism--that when you see 
antisemitism think of it like the camel's nose under the tent.
    It may seem like a small thing but there's a lot of camel 
behind it. In other words, it may seem like----
    Ms. Salazar. But they are the camel. They are--the 
presidents are the camel.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, they are----
    [Simultaneous speaking.]
    Ms. Lipstadt [continuing]. That statement--that little 
statement is indicative of bad things to follow.
    Ms. Salazar. All I'm saying is, and I'm sure that you 
agree, is that Israel is our number-one ally. I'm not saying 
that we want peace in Israel and that we want peace in the 
region and that we understand that the Palestinians are going 
through a very hard time at the time. We understand all that 
and we--no one has the monopoly on compassion.
    But I think the United States should send the message to 
our allies in the Western Hemisphere that we need to be on the 
same page when it comes to Israel and what we have seen lately 
it's completely--a complete divergence. It's completely moving 
away from what we have established for the last 50 years toward 
Israel.
    So is--aren't you concerned?
    Ms. Lipstadt. I am--I'm deeply concerned. I'll tell you I'm 
deeply concerned not just about the region but we have seen it 
in Europe. We have seen it in other places.
    Ms. Salazar. But let's stay with Latin America.
    Ms. Lipstadt. OK. Same with Latin America. Many of the 
statements which you have referred to, which I have referred 
to, cross the line from criticism----
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you. Cross the line. Cross the line.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Cross the line from criticism----
    Ms. Salazar. There are consequences when you cross the 
line--that's what I'm saying--not just scolding.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, I would hope that there will be--that 
they will get the message that this is something--if they want 
to work with the United States closely this is not something 
that redounds to their benefit.
    But it's important to recognize that criticism of Israel, 
even severe criticism of Israel, is like severe criticism of 
any other country. But too often in the in the recent past we 
have seen that criticism morph into pure and unadulterated 
antisemitism as in the examples you cited.
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you very much. I'm so happy that someone 
recognizes this, what's happening in the Western Hemisphere 
within the State Department.
    Now I recognize my friend the ranking member Mr. Castro for 
5 minutes.
    Mr. Castro. Thank you.
    Ambassador, once again, thank you for your testimony today 
and thank you for your work.
    As I mentioned in my opening remarks, the Biden 
Administration released the U.S. National Strategy to Counter 
Anti-Semitism last May and can you give us a status update on 
where we are in implementing the parts of the strategy that 
refer to the State Department and to your office?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Yes. We are--the strategy, as you probably 
well know, not only was an extensive strategy but came with 
calendar benchmarks of when certain things should be done.
    My office submitted our report to the White House 
indicating where we are and what we have done is we have 
conducted very extensive travel to these various countries, and 
when I go--I was--just recently I returned from Germany and 
from London.
    When we go to these countries we meet with government 
officials, we meet with NGO's, and we meet with members of the 
Jewish community. We meet with students--Jewish students on 
campus, non-Jewish students, et cetera, and we indicate to them 
we take this seriously.
    We take this seriously because I said--as I said in my 
opening statement, first of all, every person has a right to 
live in security.
    A job of a government is to be, if I can draw a parallel, 
like a parent in loco parentis. Keep the kids safe. That's what 
a parent's job is, to make sure that your child is safe. 
Everybody has different definitions of safe and you've got to 
keep the Jewish community safe.
    But recognize that when you see antisemitism it's not like 
the camel's nose. It's like the yellow flashing amber light 
before the light turns red.
    If there's antisemitism chances are there's going to be 
other hatreds. Chances are there are going to be bad things 
that follow.
    We have taken that on. We do it very vigorously and we do 
it unapologetically.
    Mr. Castro. Thank you.
    Ambassador, the President's National Strategy to Counter 
Anti-Semitism states that, quote, ``There are several 
definitions of antisemitism which serve as valuable tools to 
raise awareness and increase understanding of antisemitism,'' 
unquote.
    Your work is international and there may be expressions of 
antisemitism in other countries that are rarely seen in the 
United States and it's important that we recognize that.
    Is your engagement with countries in Latin America--in your 
engagement with countries in Latin America how are you working 
with partners to identify how antisemitism manifests itself in 
the local context of those nations?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Whenever we travel to any country including 
to Latin America--as I mentioned, I'll be returning to 
Argentina specifically to be present on the 30th anniversary of 
the AMIA bombing. I was there on the 28th anniversary. I saw 
what an impact my presence had on the community.
    I've been going. I've been urging others to go. I said this 
is a forgotten tragedy. This is something that we recognize, 
and 2 years earlier there was the bombing of the Israeli 
embassy in Buenos Aires.
    It's been too easily forgotten and it's got to be 
acknowledged, especially since we know--we know pretty--in 
various certitude who brought it about and the persons who have 
never been brought to justice and that's something that 
disturbs America greatly.
    We go to these countries but before we go we talk 
extensively to embassies and to consulates--our embassies, our 
consulates, our locally employed staff. We very often reach out 
to the Jewish community. We want to hear before we go.
    Before I went to Chile I met with members of the Chilean 
Jewish community who were here in Washington. I met--one of the 
first meetings I had was with them when I arrived there. What 
are their concerns--what are they seen on the ground.
    We don't want to just meet in, you know, the rarefied 
atmosphere of government offices but we want to meet with 
people on the ground and hear their experiences.
    Mr. Castro. Ambassador, you made two very important and 
related points, first, that there can be legitimate criticism 
of the Nation of Israel just as there is criticism of nations 
around the world for different policy reasons and other 
reasons, but, second, that disagreement or discontent, even 
strong disagreement with Israel, should not translate into 
antisemitism or hatred or violent actions against Jewish 
people, whether it's in New York City, in Paris, in Buenos 
Aires, Mexico City or anywhere around the world.
    So can you speak to how your office addresses 
distinguishing between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of 
the actions of the government of Israel?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Again, I'd buttress your point and the 
chairwoman's point. Legitimate criticism--if legitimate 
criticism of the State of Israel was antisemitism those 
hundreds of thousands of Israelis who spent every Saturday 
night on the street protesting the proposed judicial reforms 
would be anti-Semites which, of course, is ludicrous.
    It's when people march on the street, whether it's in 
London or New York or any other major city--I just came back 
from London so that's why--and chant ``Globalize the 
Intifada.''
    Globalize? You know, global, that means go after Jews. When 
they say things like happened in Hunter College in New York 
City on the Upper East Side, the city university college, just 
a few days ago students stood in front of the entrance to the 
campus and chanting ``Jews, Jews, you must decide--do you 
support genocide.''
    They didn't make a pretext--you know, Israel, Zion. They 
called them Jews. You know, they were quite obvious. When 
synagogues are trashed, when girls basketball teams from a 
Jewish school that when the game has to be called because the 
other team is shouting and pushing to free Palestine that's not 
being pro-Palestinian.
    That's not even being pro-Hamas, though I don't--I have a 
hard time that someone could be pro-Hamas. That's been 
antisemitic, and we have seen this conflict allow for the anti-
Semites to crawl out of their holes to engage in overt 
antisemitism and it is very disturbing.
    Most disturbing, as I said in my opening statement, is it's 
forcing Jews in many places including in our own country to 
change their lifestyle.
    Parents say to kids, don't go in the street with the 
yarmulke--put on a baseball cap. Take off your Jewish star and 
put it under your shirt.
    In October supporters of Hamas and groups affiliated with 
Hamas called for a day of rage on a Friday--it was about 2 
weeks after the beginning of the war--and parents who sent 
their kids the Jewish schools kept their kids home.
    In France it was some--over 70 percent. In England it was a 
little less than that. In this country too there were people 
who decided to keep their children home.
    I'm not criticizing them. It's one thing for me to give 
testimony; it's another thing for me to decide on the safety of 
my children. And nothing happened on the day but from the 
perspective of the people who called for a day of rage it was a 
roaring success because people felt, can I depend on my 
government to support me? Are we a failed state?
    It created doubts about democracy. It created doubts about 
stability. It's a very disturbing development. We see it in 
this country. We see in other countries.
    I'll give you an example from this country and from this 
atmosphere. In the beginning--end of December, beginning of 
January approximately 200 American synagogues received phone 
calls that there were bombs and threats. Many sent the--
especially if they had a preschool they sent the kids home.
    The FBI determined that those phone calls came from outside 
the United States. In Paris there were paintings of Jewish 
stars on apartment buildings where Jews lived or just random. 
We now know that those instructions came from people from 
Moldova who then left Paris and went back we assume to Moldova.
    In other words, antisemitism has become a tool in the hands 
of countries that hate democracies, in the hands of 
authoritarian countries to stir up doubts. In Yiddish they call 
it a kochleffel, a cooking spoon, to stir up the pot.
    And if I can destabilize your country, if I can make not 
just Jews but others feel there's something wrong here I've 
accomplished what I wanted to do and that's one of the 
objectives in my office because, of course, we are at the State 
Department and our remit is overseas. We focus overseas.
    But the other things we have learned for many of the 
organizations that track this online and in other ways that 
there's a very quick highway between overseas and our country.
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you for answering that question.
    I would like every single witness to be this willing to 
speak. I mean, it's a rare occasion. So thank you for sharing 
with us your thoughts and your opinions and your experiences.
    I now recognize Representative Huizenga for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Huizenga. Thank you, Madam Chair, and Ambassador, I'm 
sorry you're employed, quite honestly. I wish it wasn't the 
case.
    My colleague from Texas--I wrote this down, and I know you 
don't view this exclusively--but he said, you know, sometimes 
we're seeing things overseas that are rarely seen here in the 
United States.
    Interestingly enough, on my way over to this hearing I 
walked outside and had to go through the barricades that have 
gone up where I witnessed some pro-Palestinian protesters on 
the corner screaming ``F you'' to some Jewish protesters across 
the street. That was half an hour ago.
    And you were just talking about what's happening on our 
U.S. campuses. I've got a very good friend, a former colleague 
who I used to work with, who was employed up here on the House 
at one point where his two daughters who are in college or 
college age they put their--they've put their star of Davids 
away and no longer wear them on their necklaces because they're 
afraid of what's happening on their college campus.
    We are seeing a woeful lack of education that's both here 
and in the United States, and pulled some numbers. It's 31 
percent. This is according to the Conference on Jewish Material 
Claims Against Germany survey on awareness of the Holocaust.
    Thirty-one percent of respondents here in the United States 
did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the 
Holocaust. Twenty-two of Millennials had never even heard of 
the Holocaust, and in Canada--you had mentioned Canada--it's 
even worse.
    Fifty-four percent of all respondents did not know that 6 
million Jews had been slaughtered and the same 22 percent of 
Millennials had never heard of the Holocaust.
    I mean, clearly, there's a lack of education happening 
whether it's here in the United States and Canada and other 
places. And Canada kind of cuts home--close to home for me and 
here's why. My wife was born in Canada. Her parents fled the 
Netherlands after World War II after German occupation.
    I happened to be the chair of the U.S.-Canada 
Interparliamentary Group and in fact I'm going to be meeting 
with the government of Quebec here in a little while after this 
hearing.
    And when you--you brought up the Jewish deli owner in 
Montreal. It brought me back to college. Early in my college 
career I had made friends with a couple of folks on a trip. 
They invited me to come up to Montreal. They were Jewish.
    I'm forever--they were in the textile business--I'm forever 
thankful to them because they taught me what a really truly 
good bagel was for the first time and Montreal is sort of the 
center of that, right. I mean, they claim they----
    Ms. Lipstadt. Don't tell that to a New Yorker.
    [Laughter.]
    Mr. Huizenga. I know. I know. But they claim they invented 
them but really perfected them.
    But in all seriousness, you know, how can we counter these 
apparent surges in Holocaust denial and distortion here in the 
Western Hemisphere?
    And clearly, clearly, we have got young people that are 
susceptible to this and I'm curious what your assessment is on 
actors like Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran and others that for 
this--using a spike in antisemitism as an opportunity to engage 
in the Western Hemisphere here especially with young people.
    Ms. Lipstadt. First of all, I'm glad you started by saying 
I'm sorry you have a job or I'm sorry you engage. I sometimes 
say that I work in a growth industry. Business is booming and 
I'm the only one in the U.S. Government hoping for a recession.
    You know, and I say it only minimally jocularly because 
it's a very bad time. What we are seeing most disturbing--you 
know, in many places it's violence, attacks.
    But when a people feels compelled to go underground, to 
camouflage themselves if they can, then something is very, very 
wrong. How do we counter----
    Mr. Huizenga. Can I ask--I'm going to ask this. So what are 
you seeing as when you're traveling and your deputies are 
traveling with the media? You know, both local media there--I 
mean, a lot of us have opinions about our media here in the 
United States.
    But are they really portraying these antisemitic incidents 
by both State and nonState actors? I mean, are they--is it an 
active conversation in a number of these countries?
    Because I'm extremely disturbed, and the chair had brought 
up, you know, Brazil and Honduras and other places throughout 
Latin America. You know, we just talked about Canada as well 
and I have family in Canada yet. My wife's family is still 
there.
    Ms. Lipstadt. My answer would be it depends where you go, 
and to focus back on Latin America we have seen--in fact, the 
State Department issued a report in November or a statement in 
November 2023 on the Kremlin's effort to covertly spread 
disinformation in Latin America.
    And in conversations with--I was just at the Munich 
Security Conference and someone said, ``Well, why are you at 
the security conference,'' and I said, ``It's very simple. 
Anti-Semitism is a threat to the security particularly of 
democracies but virtually to any country, but certainly of 
democracies.''
    And what we have seen and according to the State Department 
report and in conversations with executives from various online 
companies who were at the conference that Russia has bought up, 
taking control of legitimate--you know, various places where 
the local media has collapsed, as it's happened in many parts 
of our country--small newspapers, local newspapers--and they 
publish the weather and the sports results and whether the Main 
Street is being paved over but then they also publish anti-
American, pro-Iran, whatever it might be, propaganda.
    Mr. Huizenga. Yes. And I know--I appreciate the light gavel 
from the chair. I know the ranking member went a little long, 
too, but this is an important issue and I want to touch on one 
last thing. I think I wrote it down.
    I believe you said you meet with our U.S. Ambassadors as 
you travel, correct?
    Ms. Lipstadt. I do.
    Mr. Huizenga. Yes. OK. Great. I'm glad to hear that. I'm 
concerned about our own Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Bagley. 
She has had some documented very hateful comments she's made 
about Jews and my understanding from my Senate friends it 
nearly derailed her Senate confirmation.
    Does her track record of those types of comments--has that 
somehow affected her ability or the U.S. ability to forcefully 
condemn da Silva's comparison of Gaza to the Holocaust?
    Ms. Lipstadt. What I've seen from our posts is that post 
Brazil--that embassy Brazil takes this issue very seriously. I 
know that Ambassador Bagley addressed some of these issues in 
her confirmation hearings and I don't want to--you know, 
that's----
    Mr. Huizenga. I guess I'm more concerned about we having a 
forceful voice when we see this, when trade partners and allies 
and certainly the economic activity that we have between 
these--our countries.
    We should have some influence over that. I want to make 
sure our Ambassadors are not just speaking out. I want them to 
be forcefully screaming about this.
    Ms. Lipstadt. I think--I think they are. I think they also 
are meeting privately. I'll give you an example of a case I 
know better, Chile.
    Our Ambassador there, Ambassador Meehan arrived in Chile on 
just the day after, I believe it was, but very close proximity 
to when President Boric refused to--when the Israeli--new 
Israeli Ambassador came to the palace to present his 
credentials and Boric refused to see him--an action not just 
don't come now, come later but of major political significance.
    Our then newly arrived Ambassador before she had even 
presented her papers had a Friday night dinner with him and 
with our charge d'affaires----
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Madam Ambassador. Sorry I'm 
interrupting but I need to recognize Representative Manning for 
5 minutes. Thank you.
    Ms. Manning. Thank you so much to my friends Chairman 
Salazar and Ranking Member Castro, and to my dear friend, 
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, for your incredible service and 
for being here today.
    As co-chair of the House bipartisan Task Force to Combat 
Anti-Semitism I deeply appreciate the commitment of the members 
on this committee on both sides of the aisle to address the 
shocking rise of antisemitism we're seeing not just in our own 
country but around the world including the Western Hemisphere.
    What we are seeing around the globe is shocking. It's 
pervasive. It is terrifying.
    And, Ambassador, you and I have been working on this issue 
for many, many years and I have to tell you the task has never 
seemed more daunting.
    As you and I both know, many countries in the Western 
Hemisphere and around the world look to the United States for 
leadership in the fight for human rights and against hate and 
antisemitism and we in this country took a major step with the 
release of the first ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter 
Anti-Semitism last May and this was done with bipartisan and 
bicameral support.
    And given the rise of antisemitism--it was bad before 
October 7th. It has been catastrophic since October 7th. Would 
you agree that Congress should now codify and enforce the 
National Strategy on a bipartisan basis to ensure that future 
administrations continue to pursue a national level approach to 
countering antisemitism?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Thank you, Representative Manning.
    You stressed--and I know the bipartisan nature of this 
fight. Both in this chamber on this side of the Hill and on the 
other side of the Hill I have found tremendous bipartisan 
support from members and I think what it demonstrates is their 
recognition, yours as well as members of this subcommittee, the 
ubiquitous, the free-flowing nature of antisemitism.
    Anti-Semitism shouldn't be looked at, like, on a spectrum 
from right to left but as a horseshoe where the extreme--the 
two extremes come and meet together and what I have discovered 
in my work and long before I entered the diplomatic corps was 
that I have friends who are on the left, progressives, and they 
see antisemitism on the right and what they're seeing is 
accurate. And I have friends on the right who see it on the 
left and what they're seeing is accurate.
    The problem is neither one sees it standing next to them 
from their compatriots who share all their other views, and I 
think it's really important if we're not going to weaponize and 
turn antisemitism into a political weapon that we continue the 
bipartisan work that we have seen both here in the House and in 
the Senate and the bipartisan support that I've received.
    Ms. Manning. Thank you. I think what you've said is so 
important for all of us to hear and let me just say I have 
drafted a comprehensive bill to codify the portions of the 
National Strategy that are assigned to Congress.
    I would love to see my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle co-sponsor my bill so that we can do more than just 
condemn antisemitism in hearings.
    I want to go back to the Western Hemisphere. I was shocked 
by the Brazilian President Lula's comments speaking at the 
African Union summit in Ethiopia when he said, as you know, 
what is happening in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian people has 
no parallel in historical moments. In fact, it did exist when 
Hitler decided to kill Jews.
    As you know, the State Department has for years used the 
IHRA definition which includes contemporary examples of 
antisemitism such as drawing comparisons of contemporary 
Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
    I'm concerned about President Lula's statement. What does 
the State Department have to say about this sort of antisemitic 
rhetoric?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Well, it's clear that his statement tripped 
the IHRA definition of what constitutes antisemitism. I know 
that the Secretary spoke to him directly when they were at the 
summit and I know that the spokesmen at the State Department 
amplified the State Department--the Secretary's comments and 
repeated them.
    I also know that there--on the ground there has been a 
significant body of people--of political leaders, government 
leaders--who have taken issue with this statement. But it's 
very disturbing. It's a trope that we're hearing and it's 
antisemitism, as is denial.
    You know, someone earlier mentioned Holocaust denial. 
Holocaust denial took two decades to get any traction at all. 
October 7th denial took 2 days, 3 days, before people were 
saying it didn't happen, it's a lie, it's made up and that's 
extremely disturbing.
    Ms. Manning. Thank you. Let me close by saying I have been 
to the site of the AMIA bombing in Argentina. I have seen what 
antisemitism can do to destroy lives and communities.
    It cannot be tolerated and I think it's important to note 
that those who perpetrated that bombing have never been held 
accountable, and although their actions have been traced to 
Iran, Iran has never been held accountable for that bombing 
either.
    Thank you so much and I yield back.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Maybe you'll join me in July at the 30th 
anniversary. Let's get a double date.
    Ms. Manning. Just invite me. I'm always happy to travel.
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you.
    I now recognize Representative Stanton for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Stanton. Thank you very much, Madam Chair, Ranking 
Member Castro, my friend Representative Manning, who's a leader 
in this Congress on so many issues but especially on 
antisemitism.
    Thank you for your leadership and thank you to Special 
Envoy Lipstadt for being here today. Your job is critically 
important now more than ever.
    Special Envoy, in your statement you said that the 
antisemitic incidents since October have increased by over 900 
percent in Brazil, over 600 percent in Argentina. It's tragic. 
To what extent have political leaders in Latin American 
countries committed to protecting Jewish communities or spoken 
out against antisemitism and violence?
    Ms. Lipstadt. Certain countries have and have spoken out 
directly, as was mentioned earlier, but other countries have 
not and have engaged in statements that if not overtly 
antisemitic come very close to the line of antisemitism and we 
have been--we are disturbed by this.
    We take issue with it publicly and privately and sometimes 
private admonitions, though they're not seen by the public, are 
even stronger to acknowledge that this is unacceptable.
    Mr. Stanton. Thank you.
    And has been discussed throughout this hearing we know that 
antisemitism is not a new phenomenon in Latin America. 
Tragically, this year does mark 30 years since the truck bomb 
destroyed the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires 
killing 85, wounding 300 people.
    Iran has been accused of directing Hezbollah to carry out 
this attack yet no one has been brought to justice. Since that 
time Iranian influence in Latin America has only grown through 
its economic and political ties to--with Bolivia, Cuba, 
Nicaragua, Venezuela. More recently Iran has looked to bolster 
its outreach through media content geared for regional 
audiences.
    Special Envoy, what can be done to inhibit Iran's effort to 
install its narrative in Latin America?
    Ms. Lipstadt. I'm glad you're asking about this. The United 
States is committed to countering Iran's malign influence and 
Iran's agent Hezbollah, which brings us back to the Middle 
East.
    The single--as we have mentioned earlier, the single 
deadliest attack in more than half a century, the AMIA bombing, 
underscored Hezbollah's global ambitions and is a clear example 
of Iran's support of international terrorism.
    High-level Iranian government officials were directly 
implicated in the attack and Hezbollah carried it out at the 
direction of the Iranian government, and it is deeply 
disturbing to us at the State Department particularly but not 
only in my office no one responsible for the attack has been 
brought to justice.
    The United States believes all Argentines deserve to have 
those responsible held accountable for this despicable and 
cowardly act.
    When I was in Argentina and I spoke with government 
officials I called on them. I said, you'll never--it hangs like 
a lodestone over you, this unresolved--we know who did it. You 
know who did it. They must be brought to justice even or 
especially 30 years after it happened.
    Mr. Stanton. What are the implications of Iran and 
Hezbollah's alliances with certain governments and political 
groups in Latin America, especially for local Jewish 
communities?
    Ms. Lipstadt. It's very disturbing--very, very disturbing. 
We see the tentacles of these relationships, this--whether it's 
overt. More often than not it's undercover, online.
    Media influences terrorism and it is a threat to the Jewish 
community and it is a destabilizing force particularly, as I 
said earlier, but not only for democracies. They are not 
interested in seeing thriving democracies and antisemitism 
becomes the pincer, the arrowhead for that attack.
    Mr. Stanton. The 2023 U.S. National Strategy to Counter 
Anti-Semitism require that the State Department and your office 
report on promising overseas programs and actions that counter 
antisemitism.
    The report was issued in September 2023. Whether from the 
report or from your own work in the region please share some 
notable programs, policies, and actions countering antisemitism 
from Latin America that you would like to highlight.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Let me focus on something I mentioned earlier 
but I want to stress it again because it's possible that this 
committee and members of this committee could have an influence 
here.
    The OAS has appointed a commissioner, Fernando Lottenberg, 
to handle this. He is very active. He is terrific. He's become 
a real partner to my office. We consult with him all the time 
to get a feel for what's going on on the ground. He suffers 
from virtually no budget and virtually no staff. He needs 
support.
    We have met with the secretary general of the OAS--I just 
met with him about 2 weeks ago--who committed to furthering 
that support and enhancing his staff, enhancing his support.
    The Secretary General of the OAS said to me antisemitism is 
not only an attack but it works against. He said if you have an 
economic problem in a country and you blame it on the Jews, 
first of all, you've enhanced the threat to Jews. Second of 
all, you haven't solved the economic problem.
    So I would urge that in your meetings, your consultations 
with members of the leadership of the OAS, you, A, compliment 
Commissioner Lottenberg for the work he's done on this and urge 
that his position be institutionalized and he get the proper 
support.
    Mr. Stanton. Thank you very much. I hope there's a strong 
bipartisan showing at the recognition of the 30 years since 
that tragic bombing in Argentina.
    So thank you for your leadership. I yield back.
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you, Representative.
    And I want to thank the Ambassador for a magnificent job 
that you're doing. We very much appreciate the fact that you 
are not only an ambassador in title but you're an ambassador in 
words and in actions and that you are sending a very strong 
message to those who may not feel it.
    But the only thing that we could do is force them to behave 
well and not to send the wrong message to their populations in 
Latin America that being antisemitic or anti-Jew is OK. So I 
think it's----
    Ms. Lipstadt. Thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate 
this opportunity.
    Ms. Salazar. No, the opportunity to talk to you and to 
please continue sending that right message because, as I said 
at the beginning, I know how the Latin American countries feel 
when they have an American representative from the U.S. 
Government and even though they may not agree with what you're 
saying or what you're demanding from them they think about it 
twice before not going in favor of what the message that you're 
sending.
    So it's a duty from the Biden Administration and you being 
the representative of the White House and sending that message 
to Latin America. It's despicable what's happening with Petro 
or with Lula or with Boric.
    You can simply--you cannot say that about our number-one 
ally, and we understand that the Palestinians do have their 
rights, too. We're not saying that.
    But you cannot solve one--you cannot help one by attacking 
the other. We have got to help both. So I thank----
    Ms. Lipstadt. My office looks forward to working with you 
in any way we can.
    Ms. Salazar. Of course, and we are delighted to do that, 
Madam.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Thank you.
    Ms. Salazar. I thank the witnesses for their valuable 
testimony and the members for their questions. The members of 
the subcommittee may have some additional questions for the 
witness so we will ask them to respond to them in writing.
    I now recognize my friend, the ranking member Mr. Castro, 
if he has any closing remarks at this hour.
    Mr. Castro. I just want to say, Ambassador, thank you so 
much for your work and please let us know how we can support 
you in a bipartisan way.
    Ms. Lipstadt. Thank you.
    Ms. Salazar. So pursuant to committee rules all members may 
have 5 days to submit statements, questions, and extraneous 
materials for the record subject to the length limitations, 
obviously.
    Without objection, the committee stands adjourned. Thanks 
again.
    [Whereupon, at 3:53 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

                                APPENDIX
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