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“Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar has been accused of a “blood libel” by the Anti-Defamation League for claiming that all Jewish students could be divided into just two camps, “pro-genocide” or “anti-genocide.”
Omar’s (D-Minn.) remarks came during a visit with anti-Israel demonstrators at Columbia University on Friday — and she’s doubling down on them.
“So I actually met a lot of Jewish students that are in the encampments. And I think it is really unfortunate that people don’t care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe and that we should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide,” Omar told a local reporter.
Omar, alongside Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), is the first female Muslim American elected to the House of Representatives.
Not long after Israel retaliated against Hamas for the bloody Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack that killed an estimated 1,200, Omar dubbed the war a “genocide.”
Omar’s comments — which suggest she believes that anyone who does not oppose Israel’s war against Hamas supports genocide — drew a rebuke from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, who accused her of “blood libel.”
“It is patently false and a blood libel to suggest that ANY Jewish students are ‘pro-genocide.’ It is gaslighting to impute that Jewish people are somehow at fault for being harassed and menaced with signs and slogans literally calling for their own extermination,” Greenblatt fired back on X.
Greenblatt called on Omar to apologize, but said “I’m not holding my breath.”
Omar defended her remarks, by citing an Intercept article about an investigation into the University of Massachusetts Amherst by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over alleged “anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment and discrimination by fellow students.”
The same group that filed the UMass complaint has made a similar federal complaint against Columbia.
“This is the pro-genocide I was talking about, can you condemn this like I have condemned antisemitism and bigotry of all kind? ‘Kill All Arabs’ ‘They are all Hamas. All grotesquely evil’ ‘Level Gaza,’” Omar posted on X, citing the article.
Omar has long been an ardent critic of Israel and was previously been widely criticized for comparing the US and Israel to the Taliban and Hamas.
Earlier this month, she voted against a roughly $26 billion package of military support for Israel and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians.
Columbia University, which she visited on Friday alongside others such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), has faced a spate of anti-Israel protests and encampments from students.
During her visit, Omar stopped by the encampments and praised them for their “bravery and courage.”
Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended by nearby Bernard College after she was arrested for refusing directives from law enforcement while participating in those protests.
The congresswoman has stood by and voiced pride in her daughter. The Minnesota Democrat is facing a primary contest from several Democrats who have slammed her position on Israel.
Amid the upheaval on campus, over 100 demonstrators have been arrested for disobeying law enforcement and the Ivy League school has switched to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester.
Top politicians such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign.
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