A Republican member of Congress introduced a resolution Tuesday to censure “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar over comments she made last month about “pro-genocide” and “anti-genocide” Jewish students.
The resolution brought by Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) admonishes Omar for her “history of hateful rhetoric that plays into the worst antisemitic tropes.”
“Omar’s slanderous comments against Jewish students could inflame violence against the Jewish community,” the resolution warned.
Late last month, Omar, who has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, ventured through Columbia University’s campus and toured pro-terror encampments erected by demonstrators.
“So I actually met a lot of Jewish students that are in the encampments,” Omar told a local reporter when asked about her visit.
“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.”
Her remarks ignited a firestorm and drew condemnation even from fellow Democrats such as Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who ripped her for “pouring gasoline” on an unstable situation.
“It is abhorrent that a sitting member of Congress would slander an entire group of young people in such a cold, calculated manner. This is how people get killed,” American Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt posted on X.
Omar is one of the first two female Muslims elected to the lower chamber, along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Minn.).
In November, the GOP-led House voted to censure Tlaib over incendiary remarks she made about Israel.
There is no immediate timetable for a vote on the censure resolution against Omar.
In February 2023, Republicans removed Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past comments about Israel and Jews, most notably a tweet from February 2019 implying that American lawmakers who support Israel were paid by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as well as a statement she made weeks later decrying “the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
In June 2021, Omar compared Israel to terrorist organizations like Hamas and the Taliban during a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing and decried America’s Middle Eastern ally as an “apartheid state.”
