Being opposed to Netanyahu and the occupation is not the same as being anti-Semitic. I am grateful to the many Jewish allies who have spoken out and said the same.
Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar is fighting back against charges that she is an anti-Semite. The freshman member of Congress took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to say that she is critical of the Israeli government, and its prime minister, but that she is no anti-Semite. Omar wrote,
“Being opposed to Netanyahu and the occupation is not the same as being anti-Semitic. I am grateful to the many Jewish allies who have spoken out and said the same.”
She added,
“We must be willing to combat hate of all kinds while also calling out oppression of all kinds. I will do my best to live up to that. I hope my colleagues will join me in doing the same.”
Omar Was Widely Criticized for Talking About Allegiance to Israel
Omar has taken heat on social media and from her fellow members of Congress for remarks she made about Israel recently. On Friday, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, said that Omar should apologize for what he called “a vile, anti-Semitic slur” she made at an event in Washington, D.C. earlier in the week.
Omar was speaking at a bookstore in DC on Wednesday, and discussed, among other things, the power of lobbyists and of AIPAC in particular. She said that she’s been accused of anti-Semitism and wondered out loud why it is acceptable for Democrats to criticize the NRA, but not to criticize AIPAC. In a widely-criticized statement, Omar said:
“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.”
Many have criticized Omar for talking about “double alleigance” and “dual loyalty,” which is sometimes seen as a coded way to express anti-Semitism. A spokesman for AIPAC told the New York Times, “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.”
Earlier on Sunday, Omar slapped back at New York Congresswoman Nina Lowey, who had criticized Omar for her “hurtful” comments. Omar wrote, “Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that!”
Omar Says People Question Her ‘Americanness’ on a Daily Basis
Omar wrote that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have been sharply critical of her and that they question her “Americanness” on a daily basis; the Minnesota representative said that her colleagues have been silent in the face of the attacks against her. She also complained that she finds the links between America and Israel “problematic,” writing:
I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks.