Rep. Ilhan Omar (l) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Top Republicans on Thursday blasted Ilhan Omar’s appointment to a top foreign affairs post despite her history of anti-Israel positions that some say crosses the line into anti-Semitism.
By: World Israel News Staff
On Thursday, freshman Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a move that has drawn heavy criticism of her party’s leadership due to Omar’s positions on Israel.
Omar, a Muslim woman from Somalia, has a history of posting anti-Israel messages on social media, some of which have resulted in accusations of overt anti-Semitism. In one 2012 tweet, Omar exclaimed, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
On Thursday, Omar defended the tweets in an interview with CNN.
She also refused to back down regarding comments she made this week about Republican Congressman Lindsey Graham, whom she labelled “comprised” in connection with his support for U.S. President Donald Trump over the ongoing federal government shutdown.
During the interview, Omar struggled to provide one piece of evidence for her theory, claiming that her opinion and conclusions represent proof of the conspiracy. Fox News reported that Omar’s “compromised” comment was interpreted as a homophobic dog whistle in certain quarters.
Omar raised eyebrows immediately following her election victory when she promptly reversed course on her position on BDS. During the campaign, Omar told a crowd of 1,000 people at a Minneapolis area synagogue that she deems BDS “unhelpful” and does not advocate anti-Israel boycotts.
A week after the election, Omar told the website MuslimGirl.com that she has always supported BDS, contradicting her comments at the synagogue. One attendee at the synagogue event in Minneapolis described Omar’s strategy as “bait-and-switch” campaigning.
Omar is part of a group of recently elected members of Congress touted as the new “progressive” face of the Democratic party. Opposition to Israel is a key policy position for these lawmakers.
Among Omar’s colleagues is Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who was caught on video this month vowing to “impeach the motherf***er,” with regard to Trump.
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