Censuring Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for her recent hateful comments and history of antisemitism.

Bill: 118-hres-1207
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
Introduced: 2024-05-07
Policy area: Congress
Latest action: action_date: 2024-05-07
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ethics.

Summaries:

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1207 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 7, 2024 Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina , Mr. Van Orden , and Ms. Tenney ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ethics RESOLUTION Censuring Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for her recent hateful comments and history of antisemitism.

Whereas, on April 26, 2024, while visiting Columbia University amidst growing encampments protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza, Representative Ilhan Omar referred to Jewish students as pro-genocide ; Whereas Representative Omar has a long and demonstrated history of hateful rhetoric that plays into the worst antisemitic tropes; Whereas Representative Omar’s slanderous comments against Jewish students could inflame violence against the Jewish community; Whereas the American Jewish Committee’s 2023 State of Antisemitism in America report found that 63 percent of American Jews feel the status of Jews is less secure than 1 year ago, which is an increase of more than 20 percent in just 1 year; Whereas that same report indicated that 78 percent of American Jews who heard about the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel say the attacks made them feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States; Whereas the American Jewish Committee report also indicated that 85 percent of American Jews and 84 percent of the general public believe the statement Israel has no right to exist , the foundational core of anti-Zionism, is antisemitic; Whereas antisemitism has reached unprecedented levels in the United States, demonstrated by the 2023 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Audit of Antisemitic Incidents with a reported 8,873 antisemitic incidents across the country, representing a 140-percent increase from the year before and an average of 1 incident per hour; Whereas this is the highest number of incidents on record since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979, and ADL has tracked more incidents in 2023 than in the previous 3 years combined; Whereas Representative Omar has a history of further fueling the flames of antisemitic hatred by her unrelenting attacks against the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East; Whereas, in 2021, Representative Omar compared Israel and the United States not only to Hamas, but also to the Taliban, when she tweeted we have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban ; Whereas the State of Israel is a key ally and a strategic partner of the United States; Whereas Hamas was designated by the Department of State as a foreign terrorist organization on October 8, 1997; Whereas Hamas is actively engaged in committing war crimes, including using civilians as human shields, which is banned under customary international humanitarian law; Whereas Hamas and its Palestinian terrorist allies in Gaza are funded by Iran; Whereas the cowardly terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, as well as citizens of the United States and other countries, was the deadliest murder of the Jewish people since 1945; Whereas Representative Omar has previously argued that Israel’s military response to Hamas strikes was an act of terrorism rather than an act of self-defense; Whereas Representative Omar accused the United States of backing crimes against humanity; Whereas, in 2012, Representative Omar tweeted, Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. ; Whereas, in 2018, Representative Omar posted, Drawing attention to the apartheid Israeli regime is far from hating Jews. ; Whereas, in 2019, Representative Omar resorted to horrible stereotypes against Jewish people when she previously suggested that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Jewish people were trying to buy political influence by saying It’s all about the Benjamins, baby. ; Whereas Representative Omar stated during a town hall in 2019, I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for the allegiance to a foreign country. ; Whereas, in 2019, Congressional Democratic Leadership issued a joint statement in response to Representative Omar, saying, Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted, and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception. ; Whereas, on February 2, 2023, Representative Omar was removed from the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives for her numerous antisemitic and other problematic statements regarding the United States democratic ally Israel; and Whereas Representative Omar has repeatedly and frequently referred to the United States close partner Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, as an apartheid State and accused it of committing genocide : Now, therefore, be it

That Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is censured for her comments targeting Jewish students in the United States.