Progressives come to Omar's defense
© Greg Nash
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/432758-progressives-come-to-omars-defense
Progressive allies of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) are rushing to her defense as the House prepares to approve a resolution condemning anti-Semitism that is largely seen as a rebuke of the outspoken lawmaker’s remarks about Israel.
Omar’s progressive allies largely stayed quiet during other recent controversies regarding Israel, which led to an apology from Omar.
But this time, Omar is holding her ground, and supporters such as fellow progressive freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are speaking out.
Ocasio-Cortez said advancing a resolution to rebuke Omar should have only been done as a last resort if efforts to address the remarks privately didn’t work.
Progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who with Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, also tweeted that her fellow freshman is “being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies.”
The House resolution, which could receive a vote as soon as Wednesday, does not mention Omar at all. But it was thrown together after she accused people who back Israel of pushing allegiance to a foreign country.
“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,” Omar said at an event last week at Washington, D.C.’s Busboys and Poets restaurant. “I want to ask, why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobby that is influencing policy?”
The resolution states that the House “rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”
Ocasio-Cortez suggested there was a double standard for rebuking lawmakers with votes on resolutions.
“One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled ‘Go back to Puerto Rico!’ on the floor),” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, referring to an incident in January when Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) yelled “Go back to Puerto Rico!” at Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.).
Smith later apologized and claimed he was referring to a House Democratic delegation to Puerto Rico during the shutdown.
This isn’t the first time Omar has faced accusations of anti-Semitism.
In January, she expressed regret over a 2012 tweet amid the Gaza war stating, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
Last month, Omar suggested that U.S. lawmakers defending Israel are motivated by campaign donations, tweeting, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.” Omar later apologized under pressure from House Democratic leaders.
Two days later, the House adopted a measure from Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) to condemn anti-Semitism as part of a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. That resolution also didn’t specifically mention Omar, who voted for it.
This time, Omar has defended herself.
When House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish, criticized her remarks, Omar wrote on Twitter,
Other, more liberal groups have taken a different tack.
J Street, which describes itself as a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” advocacy group, issued a statement on Tuesday endorsing the effort to rebuke anti-Semitism but questioned the effectiveness of targeting Omar.
© Greg Nash
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/432758-progressives-come-to-omars-defense
Progressive allies of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) are rushing to her defense as the House prepares to approve a resolution condemning anti-Semitism that is largely seen as a rebuke of the outspoken lawmaker’s remarks about Israel.
Omar’s progressive allies largely stayed quiet during other recent controversies regarding Israel, which led to an apology from Omar.
But this time, Omar is holding her ground, and supporters such as fellow progressive freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are speaking out.
Ocasio-Cortez said advancing a resolution to rebuke Omar should have only been done as a last resort if efforts to address the remarks privately didn’t work.
Progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who with Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, also tweeted that her fellow freshman is “being targeted just like many civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies.”
The House resolution, which could receive a vote as soon as Wednesday, does not mention Omar at all. But it was thrown together after she accused people who back Israel of pushing allegiance to a foreign country.
“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,” Omar said at an event last week at Washington, D.C.’s Busboys and Poets restaurant. “I want to ask, why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobby that is influencing policy?”
The resolution states that the House “rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”
Ocasio-Cortez suggested there was a double standard for rebuking lawmakers with votes on resolutions.
“One of the things that is hurtful about the extent to which reprimand is sought of Ilhan is that no one seeks this level of reprimand when members make statements about Latinx + other communities (during the shutdown, a GOP member yelled ‘Go back to Puerto Rico!’ on the floor),” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, referring to an incident in January when Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) yelled “Go back to Puerto Rico!” at Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.).
Smith later apologized and claimed he was referring to a House Democratic delegation to Puerto Rico during the shutdown.
This isn’t the first time Omar has faced accusations of anti-Semitism.
In January, she expressed regret over a 2012 tweet amid the Gaza war stating, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
Last month, Omar suggested that U.S. lawmakers defending Israel are motivated by campaign donations, tweeting, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.” Omar later apologized under pressure from House Democratic leaders.
Two days later, the House adopted a measure from Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) to condemn anti-Semitism as part of a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. That resolution also didn’t specifically mention Omar, who voted for it.
This time, Omar has defended herself.
When House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish, criticized her remarks, Omar wrote on Twitter,
In response, the Anti-Defamation League expressed support for a resolution condemning anti-Semitism.
Other, more liberal groups have taken a different tack.
J Street, which describes itself as a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” advocacy group, issued a statement on Tuesday endorsing the effort to rebuke anti-Semitism but questioned the effectiveness of targeting Omar.
” J Street said in the statement.
