ZOA: Height of Irony & Hypocrisy: Antisemitic, Anti-American, Lying Hate-Monger llhan Omar “Repeatedly Dishes it Out, But She Can’t Take It”
News Press Release
December 1, 2021

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton Klein and ZOA Director of Special Projects Liz Berney, Esq. released the following statement:

It’s the height of irony and hypocrisy that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who routinely spews the most vicious, incendiary, dangerous, antisemitic and anti-American hate and blood libels, is now demanding that Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) should be removed from Boebert’s committee assignments due to Boebert’s intemperate remarks related to Ilhan Omar’s support for terrorists. In fact, among many other things, Omar wrote to a Minnesota judge demanding reduced sentences for convicted Somali ISIS terrorists. (See more on Omar’s heinous record below.)

Omar also hypocritically claimed: “We cannot pretend that this hate speech from leading politicians doesn’t have real consequences.” In fact, it is Ilhan Omar’s antisemitic hate speech that has had real consequences, including the increase in antisemitism & violent attacks in the U.S.

In the same tweet, Omar demanded: “@GOPLeader and @SpeakerPelosi need to take appropriate action, normalizing this bigotry not only endangers my life but the lives of all Muslims. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in Congress.” Yet, Speaker Pelosi has still taken no action against Omar for repeatedly normalizing anti-Jewish and anti-American bigotry.

Ironically, after Congresswoman Boebert said she was fine with getting on an elevator with Ilhan Omar because Omar was not wearing a backpack, Omar tweetedSaying I am a suicide bomber is no laughing matter.” Yet, Ilhan Omar is infamous for laughing and joking about Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Al-Shabaab terrorists in a video interview. Omar complained that Americans say the names “Al-Qaeda,” “Al-Shabaab,” and “Hezbollah” as if those names were a bad thing, and blamed U.S. “involvement in other people’s affairs” for terrorism. 

Moreover, when Boebert graciously called Omar to try to apologize and make peace, Omar rudely hanged up the phone and turned down Boebert’s offer to meet.

Omar also leveled false accusations against the entire Republican party: For instance, on Nov. 30, 2021, Omar tweeted: “Trying to come up with the most bigoted ways to traffic Islamophobic tropes is the brand of the Republican party.”

As ZOA has long demanded, Ilhan Omar needs to be removed from all her committee assignments.

More Examples of Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Jewish and Anti-American Hate and Support for Terrorism and Terror Regimes:

  • Omar’s outrageous accusations against Israel, the U.S., American Jews, Jewish Democrats and supporters of Israel: In a tweet on June 7, 2021, Omar outrageously equated Israel and the U.S. to Hamas and the Taliban, and falsely accused Israel and the U.S. of “unthinkable atrocities” and “crimes against humanity.”

And after Hamas lobbed thousands of rockets into Israel, Omar defamed Israel as guilty of “evil doings”; hurled antisemitic accusations that Israel “hypnotized” the world; and falsely maligned the democratic state of Israel as an “apartheid Israeli regime,” and supported boycotting democratic Israel while condemning boycotts on terrorist dictatorships Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. 

Omar also condemned supporters of Israel as having “allegiance to a foreign country.” How ironic, considering Ilhan Omar’s statements supporting Iran, ISIS terrorists, Hamas, other Muslim Brotherhood affiliates, Cuba, the Maduro Venezuela regime, etc.!

Omar also made false, antisemitic claims that Jewish money, “the Benjamins,” buys Congress. That’s more hypocrisy: ZOA’s analysis of Omar’s financial filings revealed that Omar is financially backed by the worst anti-American and anti-Israel propagandists and PACs, including CAIR, Hamas supporters, James Zogby, Rashida Tlaib, and BDS leader Prof. Hatem Bazian

After Omar accused Israel and the U.S. of “unthinkable atrocities” equal to those of Hamas and the Taliban, 12 Jewish Democrats in the  U.S. House of Representatives stated that Omar’s statements gave “cover to terrorist groups,” were “as offensive as it is misguided,” and “at best discredits one’s intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice,” and asked Omar to clarify her statements. Omar responded by falsely accusing those Jewish Democrats of “unbearable harassing” and using “offensive” “Islamophobic tropes.”

Rep. Boebert also condemned Omar’s antisemitism and reported financial and ethical violations.

  • Omar promotes the anti-Israel, antisemitic, discriminatory boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, after lying about her BDS position while running for Congress. 
  • Omar justified ISIS terrorism: Omar’s letter to the Minnesota judge demanding lower sentences for the ISIS terrorists justified terrorism by claiming that the terrorists “chose violence to combat [the terrorists’] direct marginalization,” and was the “consequence of systematic alienation.”
  • Omar refused to answer whether she supports Al Qaeda, during a 2019 press conference. 
  • Omar dismissively, revealing insensitivity and even hatred toward Americans, called the Islamic terrorists who murdered 3,000 Americans on 9/11 “some people who did something.”
  • Omar proudly works with leader of group weakening U.S. homeland security: On June 21, 2021, Omar tweeted: “I have been proud to work with fierce women like @FarhanaKhera in the fight against anti-Muslim hate and to help pass the No Ban Act this year. Looking forward to the fights ahead by your side. [Raised fist emoji.]” Farhana Khera founded the Soros-funded “Muslim Advocates” which severely weakened U.S. counterterrorism policies and homeland security.
  • Omar took the side of Iran (a designated state sponsor of terrorism) and the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen: On July 27, 2021, Omar tweeted that she and her colleagues were “helping lead the fight to end our support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.” 
  • Omar took the side of the Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Ennahda party in Tunisia, over moderate Arab countries; Ennahda is accused of being behind the assassinations of secular opposition leaders and fueling an unprecedented increase in terrorist attacks. On July 27, 2021, after Tunisia’s president took steps against the Ennahda party, Omar tweeted that Tunisia’s president was assaulting democracy, and that the U.S. should cut off aid to him. Similarly, on July 26, 2021, Omar retweeted a thread claiming that tweets supporting the Tunisian president were merely “disinformation” from bots and foreign influencers in Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
  • Omar supported Cuba’s dictators over the U.S.: On July 27, Omar tweeted that the U.S. did not have the “high ground” to ask Cuba to respect its citizens’ human rights. Omar also demanded that the U.S. lift the embargo on Cuba.
  • Between two terror entities – the Palestinian Authority/PLO/Fatah and Hamas, Omar favored Hamas:  On June 26, 2021, Omar retweeted a tweet criticizing the Palestinian Authority (PA) for suppressing protests against Nizar Banat’s death. Banat was a “Freedom and Justice party” (Hamas) candidate and condemned the PA for any security cooperation with Israel. The tweet also called Jerusalem, Israel “Occupied Palestine.”
  • Omar backed the anti-American, dangerous socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, opposing what she called a “ U.S.-backed coup” to install a “far-right” opposition. The opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, is also a socialist. Omar wrongly blamed U.S. “meddling” and “sanctions” for Venezuela’s woes, instead of Maduro’s disastrous policies. In addition, Omar abused her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to rudely lambaste the Jewish U.S. envoy on Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, without giving him an opportunity to respond.

To quote Omar’s own words, Omar’s bigotry has no place in Congress. Rep. Omar is a danger to America and its ally Israel; not Rep. Boebert. 

Our Mission
ZOA STATEMENT
The ZOA speaks out for Israel – in reports, newsletters, and other publications. In speeches in synagogues, churches, and community events, in high schools and colleges from coast to coast. In e-mail action alerts. In op-eds and letters to the editor. In radio and television appearances by ZOA leaders. Always on the front lines of pro-Israel activism, ZOA has made its mark.
Center for Law & Justice
We work to educate the American public and Congress about legal issues in order to advance the interests of Israel and the Jewish people.
We assist American victims of terrorism in vindicating their rights under the law, and seek to hold terrorists and sponsors of terrorism accountable for their actions.
We fight anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media and on college campuses.
We strive to enforce existing law and also to create new law in order to safeguard the rights of the Jewish people in the United States and Israel.