Rep. Ilhan Omar incited indignation on Monday when she publicly urged the United States to switch from providing Israel with “unconditional weapons sales and military aid” to diplomacy.
Omar (D-Minn.) — a member of the so-called “Squad” — also harped on the plight of the Palestinians and indicated that Israel’s retaliation against the terrorist organization Hamas could constitute a “war crime.”
This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the U.S. should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
“The Israeli Defense Minister has called Palestinians ‘human animals’ and promised to cut off all electricity, all food, and all fuel to civilians in Gaza,” Omar wrote in a lengthy threat on X, formerly Twitter.
“This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the U.S. should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order,” she continued.
The 41-year-old congresswoman, who has long been an outspoken critic of Israel’s settlement policies and defender of the Palestinians, argued further that “the solution to this horror, as ever, is a negotiated peace.”
“Instead of continuing unconditional weapons sales and military aid to Israel, I urge the United States at long last to use its diplomatic might to push for peace,” she stressed.
Her remarks touched a nerve with critics, who ridiculed her appeal for peace just after Hamas conducted a deadly attack on Israel that killed over a thousand people.
Another member of the Squad, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) described Israel as an “apartheid state” in a message on Sunday.
“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,” Tlaib said.
“The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”
Tlaib did not condemn the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year as a result of the Republican seizure of the House.
As justification, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) cited her prior comments on Israel.
President Joe Biden has confirmed at least 11 Americans were killed in the crossfire.