Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein and ZOA Chair Mark Levenson, Esq. released the following statement:
The ZOA strongly opposes, condemns, and urges the retraction of the outrageous appointment of vicious antisemite, Israel-basher and anti-Israel-BDS-promoter Ilhan Omar to be Vice Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights.
Last week, Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) courageously and appropriately sponsored an amendment to remove Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Indeed, Omar should be removed from the Committee. ZOA has likewise long urged Omar’s removal from her committees in light of her horrific, ongoing record and statements. (See, e.g., “ZOA Condemns Rep. Omar’s Latest Jew-Hatred – Don’t Give Her Important Post or Committee!,” Nov. 9, 2020; “ZOA Criticizes Rep. Omar Who Calls For Sanctions on Ally Israel, But Decries Sanctions on Enemies Iran, Cuba & Venezuela,” Jan. 13, 2020; “ZOA: Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Semitism Means She Must Be Removed from House Committees,” Breitbart, Feb. 12, 2019.)
Omar should certainly not be elevated to her new leadership position – which will give her an even bigger platform for spewing her hateful antisemitism, Israel-bashing and promotion of boycotts against the Middle East’s only human-rights-loving democracy, Israel.
Rep. Omar is infamous for her numerous anti-Jewish, anti-American, and anti-Israel statements and legislative actions. For instance, Omar:
- falsely tweeted that Israel is “evil” and an “apartheid regime”;
- tweeted the antisemitic trope that Congress only supports Israel for money (“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby”);
- tweeted on November 5, 2020, falsely accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in a “direct violation of international law” that left “an entire community homeless” that “will likely experience lifelong trauma” and demanded that the U.S. should not “bankroll” Israel’s actions. In fact, Israel simply lawfully removed seven Bedouin tents and eight pens that were illegally pitched in a firing zone in the Jordan Valley. The tents were unlawful temporary creations pitched for anti-Israel propaganda purposes; they were not homes in a real community.
- wrote to a judge to demand “compassion” and lighter sentences for convicted ISIS terrorists;
- belittled 9/11 and laughed about al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and al-Shabaab terrorists;
- blamed supposed U.S. “involvement in other people’s affairs” for terrorism against innocent Americans;
- lied to her constituents by denying her BDS support to initially get elected, and then promoting BDS in Congress, including sponsoring an outrageous Congressional resolution to support anti-Jewish, anti-Israel boycotts, that analogizes such antisemitic boycotts to anti-Nazi boycotts;
- was only one of two legislators who voted against her state’s anti-BDS bill;
- demanded ending Iran sanctions despite increased Iranian nuclear and missile violations;
- employed Mahyar Sorour as her senior legislative assistant and Leadership Board candidate for NIAC – Iran’s apparent lobbying arm in the U.S.;
- called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s existence a problem; and
- stated that the danger to Americans is “white men” – not Islamic terrorists.
ZOA’s analysis of Omar’s Federal Election Commission filings revealed that Omar is funded by the worst anti-Israel propagandists and haters. Omar also speaks for anti-Israel CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator for funding Hamas.
Ben Weingarten’s eye-opening book, “American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party,” (which was featured in the ZOA Virtual Book Club) describes Ilhan Omar’s privileged background in Somalia; campaign with Bernie Sanders to lift Iranian sanctions as an unregistered foreign agent for the Iranian regime; and Omar’s legitimization of Jew-hatred, hatred of the Jewish state, and hatred of America. (See video part 1 and part 2.)
Elevating Omar to a position overseeing “global human rights” is a dangerous travesty that will help mainstreaming and legitimizing Israel-hatred and Jew-hatred.
ZOA urges Jewish and Christian and Muslim organizations of good will to speak out about this frightening appointment.