Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock is struggling to defend his record of anti-Israel statements and policies, as Republicans raise the issue ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff election in the state.

Warnock is challenging incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), alongside another runoff election between Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and challenger Jon Ossoff. If both Democrats win their respective races, they would gain effective control of the U.S. Senate and Capitol Hill as a whole.

Last week, the Jewish Journal noted Warnock’s problematic positions on Israel — an emotive issue for many conservatives:

In 2019, Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock signed a letter comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa, Jewish Insider reported.

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Warnock is also listed as a delegation member on a Progressive National Baptist resolution that called on the United States to cease all military aid to Israel and urged Israel to stop building “illegal Israeli settlements, checkpoints and apartheid roads in the occupied Palestinian territories,” Fox News reported.

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Stephen Lawson, communications director for incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler’s (R-Ga.) campaign, told Fox News that “Warnock has a history of anti-Israel positions, from embracing anti-Zionist Black Lives Matter and defending anti-Semitic comments made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to calling Israel an ‘oppressive regime’ for fighting back against terrorism.” Lawson also argued that Loeffler’s staunch support for Israel is “unwavering.”

Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported that Warnock had previously defended Wright in 2008, saying “that we celebrate the truth-telling tradition of the black church, which when preachers tell the truth, very often it makes people uncomfortable.” Warnock defended Wright again in March. JNS also highlighted how Wright said shortly after Barack Obama was elected that “them Jews” were preventing Obama from stating “anti-Israel” remarks.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which drew criticism this fall for comparing Trump’s America to Nazi Germany, claims: “On Israel, Warnock is committed to continue to supporting U.S. military assistance, a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and opposing the BDS [boycott, divestment, sanctions] movement. Additionally, Warnock is committed to supporting an agreement that will prevent a nuclear-capable Iran.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also opposed BDS when she was running for Congress — until she won, when she embraced it.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.