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Ilhan Omar compares US to Hamas, says both commit atrocities

Omar lumped in U.S. and Israeli government policy with that of the Taliban and Hamas, two internationally-recognized terror groups.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is no stranger to incendiary remarks, but a recent tweet in which she compared the actions of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Gaza-based terror group Hamas, and the U.S. government, may be her most contentious statement yet.

“We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity,” Omar wrote on Monday evening, alongside a clip of herself questioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the U.S.’s role in investigating war crimes.

“We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” the tweet continued, lumping in U.S. and Israeli government policy with that of two internationally-recognized terror groups.

In the clip, Omar repeatedly referenced “Palestine” and told Blinken that she had serious doubts if Israeli courts could objectively investigate alleged war crimes.

She demanded that Blinken explain how the U.S. would hold nations reluctant to examine their own military actions accountable. “I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice,” the tweet concluded.

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During Operation Guardian of the Walls in May, Omar tweeted that “Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.”

“Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of [the Islamic holiday] Eid,” the tweet continued.

In 2012, Omar tweeted that “Israel has hypnotized the world,” and added that she prayed for “Allah [to] awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”

When asked about the tweet during a CNN interview in 2019, Omar didn’t back down. Though she acknowledged her “unfortunate” choice of words, she denied that she was anti-Semitic and said that criticism of her tweet was a way of deflecting from the real issues at hand.

What’s important, said Omar, is that “people recognize that there is a difference between criticizing a military action by a government that has exercised really oppressive policies and being offensive or attacking to particular people of faith.”