Omar apologized as a means to lighten the pressure from an onslaught of criticisms she didn’t expect, even from her own camp, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on her to apologize. But it is noteworthy that she was not dropped from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Omar has “suggested that Jewish money was behind American elected officials’ support for Israel,” specifically the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “Members of the American Jewish community, including from the left, criticized Omar’s comments….as blatantly anti-Semitic.”
Omar is also vehemently against two anti-BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) bills “that are being pushed in Congress,” and has referenced Israel as the “apartheid Israeli regime.”
BDS is intended to delegitimize the Jewish state and erode it economically. Ilhan Omar once stated that: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” When called out publicly for her words, she disingenuously apologized as expected. But she suffered no consequences, which is in itself telling.
“Congresswoman Ilhan Omar suggests Jewish money behind US support of Israel,” by Eric Cortellessa, The Times of Israel, February 11, 2019:
WASHINGTON — Newly elected Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar suggested on Sunday that Jewish money was behind American elected officials’ support for Israel, sparking widespread condemnation and fresh allegations of anti-Semitism.
Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, was responding on Twitter to Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCathy’s vow to “take action” against her and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, both of whom support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
“It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” Omar tweeted, reacting to another tweet from the prominent journalist Glenn Greenwald, who said it was “stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans,” referring to McCarthy’s pledge.
Benjamins are a slang term for $100 bills, which feature US founding father Benjamin Franklin.
When one journalist followed up by saying she wondered who Omar thought was paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, Omar responded: “AIPAC!,” referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
While the pro-Israel lobby wields considerable influence in Washington, it does not contribute to campaigns, nor does it make endorsements.
Omar, a Somali-born refugee from Ethiopia, was recently appointed to the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. In recent weeks, Omar and others have been vociferous critics of two anti-BDS bills that are being pushed in Congress….