President Donald Trump is once again hypocritically accusing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of being anti-Semitic just because she is a critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calls out Israel’s crimes against humanity and influence in American politics.
Omar has unfortunately drawn an undeserved backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who can’t seem to separate legitimate criticisms of Israel from actual anti-Semitism, which has forced her to repeatedly defend herself on Twitter.
I have not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019
I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019
My Americanness is questioned by the President and the @GOP on a daily basis, yet my colleagues remain silent. I know what it means to be American and no one will ever tell me otherwise.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019
Being opposed to Netanyahu and the occupation is not the same as being anti-Semitic. I am grateful to the many Jewish allies who have spoken out and said the same.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3, 2019
Indeed, both political parties seem to think that any criticism of Israel amounts to being anti-Semitic, which is why they introduced a bill a while back that would have criminalized boycotts of Israel for how it is treating Palestinians in the Gaza strip, a treatment that amounts to genocide and war crimes.
Of course, it did not take long for Trump to jump back into the fray, calling Omar’s criticism a “dark day for Israel” and demanding she be removed from the Foreign Relations Committee.
Representative Ilhan Omar is again under fire for her terrible comments concerning Israel. Jewish groups have just sent a petition to Speaker Pelosi asking her to remove Omar from Foreign Relations Committee. A dark day for Israel!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2019
Twitter users jumped to Omar’s defense by pointing out Trump’s very real anti-Semitism and America’s refusal to acknowledge Israel’s crimes against humanity.
Nope. Sorry. Trump can’t claim to care about Jews and Anti-Semitism and use it as a weapon to attack Ilhan Omar. The hypocrisy of all this is just shamelessly exquisite. So let’s do a quick thread about all the anti-Semitic things Trump should apologize for, shall we? We shall 1/ https://t.co/UdCbVrcxXe
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
in 2018 at the WH Hannukah party, Trump told American Jews that Mike and Karen Pence were “a tremendous supporter [of Israel] — they love your country. They love your country. And they love this country.”
That’s the “dual loyalty” stereotype right there, plain as day. 3/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
Trump tweeted this in July 2016 and then later deleted it. Totally not anti-Semitic at all. Very subtle, right? He really cares, guys. 5/ pic.twitter.com/cEwwujHesV
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
Trump has repeatedly used the anti-semitic trope “globalists” against his adversaries. Not surprisingly, Breitbart and the right wing have used it almost exclusively for Jews in his administration including Gary Cohn and Kushner. But, hey, he has Jewish grandkids so… 7/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
Finally, Steve King, a white supremacist. He who has supported an anti semitic white nationalist Faith Goldy. He who supports the racist agenda of Austria’s Freedom Party. He who has a confederate flag on his desk in Iowa. He who will seek his 10th term in 2020 as a Republican 9/
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
So, yeah, Trump and Republicans might support Israel and Netanyahu to placate their White Evangelical base, the largest pro-Israel support group in America btw (see CUFI and John Hagee). But don’t believe for a second they actually care about Jews and fighting anti-Semitism. END.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 5, 2019
Israel: 50 Years of Occupation Abuses | Human Rights Watch https://t.co/Ucsz0LlSxQ
— Forever Logical ? (@ForeverLogical) March 5, 2019
Please. She voices her concern about lobbyists for Israel. You tell the world there are some fine Nazis.
Let’s remove you.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) March 5, 2019
It’s not anti-Jewish to be critical of the Israeli government or to point out Republican support for Israel maybe fuelled by political donations by pro-Israeli groups. Just like it’s not anti-Islamic to point out the Saudi Arabian/UAE money flowing into Trump’s administration
— RefugeeInCanada (@in_refugee) March 5, 2019
The attacks on Omar must cease and both Republicans and Democrats owe her an apology for characterizing her legitimate criticism of Israel and the pro-Israel lobby as anti-Semitism.
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