Ilhan Omar signs on to resolution recognizing Israel as ‘legitimate and democratic ally’
Jack Birle
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was one of 32 members of the House of Representatives who co-sponsored a resolution recognizing Israel as “America’s legitimate and democratic ally” and condemning antisemitism.
The resolution, led by Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), was part of a last-ditch effort to avoid having Omar removed from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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The resolution declares that the House of Representatives “rejects hate, discrimination, and antisemitism in all forms, including antisemitism masquerading as anti-Israel sentiment,” and stands “in unity with the Jewish people.”
Also included in the resolution was condemnation of the “perpetuation of antisemitic tropes, including claims of dual loyalty, control, and other conspiracy theories antithetical to American values.”
In a lengthy statement released after Omar was voted off the Foreign Affairs Committee, Gottheimer, who has previously clashed with Omar over her comments about Jewish people, called her signing on to the resolution an “enormous step forward.”
“It is no secret that, over the years, I have been unabashedly critical about Congresswoman Omar’s past comments. But, it is an enormous step forward that Congresswoman Omar has signed onto this Congressional Resolution in support of Israel as a Jewish and legitimate democratic State, that acknowledges Israel as a vital ally, and that condemns the use of antisemitic tropes, including those masquerading as anti-Israel sentiments,” Gottheimer said in the statement.
Omar has come under fire for previous remarks. In a tweet posted in 2012, she said that “Israel has hypnotized the world” while committing “evil doings,” and in a February 2019 tweet, she suggested that U.S. support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins.”
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Republicans have long called for Omar to be removed from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee. It was a campaign promise if they won back the majority in the House. Under the GOP House majority, Omar was removed from the committee Thursday in a move not supported by Democrats.