Booker says he had no idea sign he held is linked to pro-Palestinian movement

Sen. Cory Booker, seen as a likely contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, appears in a photo appearing to endorse a slogan of the pro-Palestinian movement.
A Booker spokesman told JTA the senator had no idea the sign had anything to do with Israel.
Booker, a New Jersey Democrat who is known for his closeness to the Jewish community, is seen posing while holding a sign reading “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go” and depicting a crumbling brick wall. The slogan was coined by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, which posted the photo Friday on Twitter.
The sign likens President Trump’s Mexican wall proposal to Israel’s security barrier.
A spokesman for Booker, Jeff Giertz, said Booker believed the sign referred only to Mexico.
“Just before delivering a speech in New Orleans, Senator Booker was approached by dozens of people for photos,” Giertz told JTA in an email.
“In one instance, amid the rush, he was posing for a photo and was passed a sign to hold – he didn’t have time to read the sign, and from his cursory glance he thought it was talking about Mexico and didn’t realize it had anything to do with Israel,” Giertz said. “He hopes for a day when there will be no need for security barriers in the State of Israel, but while active terrorist organizations threaten the safety of the people living in Israel, security barriers are unfortunate but necessary to protect human lives.”
The Twitter post said the photo, in which Booker poses with three other people, was taken at the Netroots Nation conference taking place this week in New Orleans. Booker is shown posing with Leah Muskin-Pierret, the government affairs associate of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a group that endorses the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. She is shown wearing a shirt with a pro-Palestinian slogan.
“Excited to be here at Netroots Nation talking with progressives like Sen. Cory Booker about our shared commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for all people,” the Twitter post said. Netroots Nation is an annual conference for progressives.
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