“How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends?” the anti-Israel congresswoman tweeted.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
Freshman congresswoman Ilhan Omar blamed Israel for the round of airstrikes in which Hamas and Islamic Jihad shot some 700 rockets into the Jewish state over the weekend, killing four and wounding dozens, with Israel hitting over 350 Gazan targets in return.
In her tweet on the subject, she wrote, “How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends? The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace.”
The Democratic congresswoman’s response stood in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s firm support for the Jewish state, as exemplified by the president’s own tweet that put the blame squarely on Hamas.
“Once again, Israel faces a barrage of deadly rocket attacks by terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We support Israel 100% in its defense of its citizens. To the Gazan people – these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace – it can happen!”
In his own tweet, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharply condemned the attacks. “Israel has the absolute right to defend itself,” he stated on Fox News on Sunday.
Rep. Omar has made several anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments, especially since being elected last year to Congress. In perhaps her most famous jab to date, she accused AIPAC of paying off American political candidates and office-holders to support Israel, saying, “It’s all about the Benjamins [$100 bills], baby.” She has also questioned the patriotism of Jewish Americans, intimating that they have an issue of dual loyalty that is troubling.
Omar’s Palestinian-American congressional colleague, rep. Rashida Tlaib, also known for her anti-Israel sentiments, blasted the New York Times for its report on the barrage of rockets on Sunday, tweeting that it “dehumanize[ed] our Palestinian people” and charging that Israel “unjustly oppress & target Palestinian children and families.”