'OFFENSIVE'
What did Ilhan Omar tweet?
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What did Ilhan Omar tweet?
issued a video question to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
The caption on her video tweet said: “We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
“I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice."
Immediately after sharing the video, Omar was slammed by users from both the left and right as they accused her of comparing the US and Israel to terror groups Hamas and the Taliban.
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In May Omar, and members of the progressive "Squad" alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, slammed Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza strip as “terrorism.”
“Israeli airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism,” Omar tweeted in response to the news.
“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 Eid,” she added, referencing the Muslim holy week.
What did politicians say about Ilhan Omar’s tweet?
Omar was accused of being antisemitic by and have pushed for her to be expelled from the House foreign affairs committee.
Similarly, a group of 12 , led by Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, released a joint statement denouncing Omar’s comments saying: “Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided.
"Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one's intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.
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Adding: "The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups."
“We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words.”
What did Ilhan Omar say about the tweet?
After facing backlash, Omar first criticized her colleagues for releasing a statement and saying
Yet, she clarified her remarks, writing: “To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those [International Criminal Court] cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel.
"I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.”
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House Speaker and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, along with six other Democrat leaders issued a joint after Omar clarified her remarks, writing: “Legitimate criticism of the policies of both the United States and Israel is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate.
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“And indeed, such criticism is essential to the strength and health of our democracies.
"But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all.”
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