Omar Doubles Down on Antisemitism

Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) once again faces withering criticism amid charges of anti-Semitism from House leadership who no longer are willing to chalk up her controversial remarks to naiveté. (USA Today)
 

On Friday, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., called on Omar to apologize for “a vile, anti-Semitic slur” she made at a town hall event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday where she suggested Israel demands “allegiance” from American lawmakers. 

“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” the congresswoman from Minnesota said in a video of the event shared on Facebook.

She was joined at the event by Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and Mark Pocan, D-Wis.

Omar and Tlaib are the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Omar said she was concerned that because of their religion, “a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies, (think) that everything we say about Israel (is) anti-Semitic because we are Muslim.” 

Omar claims the charges of anti-Semitism against her are “designed to end the debate” about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Critics argue that Omar’s perceived insults reinforce negative stereotypes about the historically persecuted Jewish people.
 

The charge of dual loyalty not only raises the ominous specter of classic anti-Semitism, but it is also deeply insulting to the millions upon millions of patriotic Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish, who stand by our democratic ally, Israel.

— AIPAC (@AIPAC) March 1, 2019

Gross islamophobic stereotypes – like those about @IlhanMN recently featured on posters in WVA – are offensive and have no place in political discourse. Anti-Semitic tropes that accuse Jews of dual loyalty are equally painful and must also be roundly condemned.

— Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) March 2, 2019

Lawmakers must be able to debate w/o prejudice or bigotry. I am saddened that Rep. Omar continues to mischaracterize support for Israel. I urge her to retract this statement and engage in further dialogue with the Jewish community on why these comments are so hurtful.

— Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) March 2, 2019

I find it problematic that you haven’t found a way to criticize Israel without resorting to antisemitism. https://t.co/Kez8H9NWNW

— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) March 3, 2019

House Foreign Affairs leader calls on freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar to apologize for saying pro-Israel groups push foreign allegiance https://t.co/TaVMDXmDRK pic.twitter.com/MonlNU1bGS

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 2, 2019