Ilhan Omar gets censure threat for calling Jew students 'pro-genocide'
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The Republican working on the censure is Republican Don Bacon (R-Neb.) who told Axios that "talking about pro-genocide Jewish students is wrong."
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, talks during a press conference to call for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on Capitol Hill, October 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is under threat of censure, according to Axios, by a House Republican after referring to some Jewish students as "pro-genocide" during her visit to Columbia University last week.
The Republican working on the censure is Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) who told Axios that "talking about pro-genocide Jewish students is wrong." He noted; "Folks can protest Israel, but don't blame Jewish-American students for Israel. That is by definition anti-Semitism," and that "all students deserve [a] safe environment."
During her pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, Fox 5 New York asked Omar about alleged antisemitic incidents resulting from the protest. "I actually met a lot of Jewish students who are in the encampment, and I think it is really unfortunate that people don't care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe," she said, adding, "We should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide."
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Meanwhile, Omar spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told Axios, "Congresswoman Omar clearly condemned antisemitism and bigotry for all Jewish students."
She concluded that "Attempts to misconstrue her words by drafting this baseless resolution are meant to distract from the ongoing violence and genocide occurring in Gaza and the large antiwar protests happening across our country and around the world."
Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the initial two Muslim women elected to Congress, have consistently been some of the most vocal critics of the Israeli occupation. Their remarks have occasionally been accused of allegedly containing anti-Semitic remarks by fellow lawmakers and others in congressional leadership. Moreover, some of the backlash directed at Tlaib and Omar for their previous statements has itself been scrutinized for harboring Islamophobic or racist undertones.
This is not the first time Omar has been accused of alleged antisemitism. Back in February last year, Omar was removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee on account of her divisive comments regarding a variety of subjects, including the relationship between the United States and the Israeli occupation.
Omar became a symbol of the right's framing of their opponents as hard-left, anti-"Israel", and anti-American, fueled in part by what former Donald Trump said about her religion. This is how and why Trump elevated her, and by doing so, he created political value for other Republicans by targeting her in the same way, according to Axios.
