Ilhan Omar removed from foreign affairs committee for criticizing ‘Israel’

Washington (QNN)- US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was removed on Thursday from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she made in 2019 criticizing ‘Israel’.

The Thursday vote, in which 218 Republicans voted to remove her and 211 Democrats voted no, was an effort led by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who accused Omar of antisemitism.

The Democratic congresswoman of Minnesota, re-elected in November, came under fire from lawmakers, including some in her own party, for a February 2019 tweet that said US support for ‘Israel’ among politicians was “all about the Benjamins”.

Omar, who also opposed US military aid to ‘Israel’, is a frequent critic of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.

However, Omar later apologized for her 2019 remarks, saying that she was learning about “the painful history of antisemitic tropes”.

The vote came after a heated debate with voices raised in which Democrats accused the GOP of targeting Omar based on her race. Omar defended herself on the House floor, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted, “because when you push power, power pushes back

“My leadership and voice will not diminish if I am not on this committee for one term,” Omar said prior to the voting.

“Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted? Is anyone surprised that I am somehow deemed unworthy to speak about American policies?“ she said.

In November, McCarthy told the Republican Jewish Committee, “I remember what she said about me. I remember what she said about Israel. I remember what she said about the relationship. I remembered it so much, I promised you last year she would no longer be on foreign affairs. I’m keeping that promise.”

A month later, eight high-profile Jewish organizations, including J Street; the New Israel Fund; the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and T’ruah said in a joint statement: “We may not agree with some of Congresswoman Omar’s opinions, but we categorically reject the suggestion that any of her policy positions or statements merit disqualification from her role on the committee.”

Hours after the vote, Omar tweeted, “my critique of our foreign policy, Israel’s policy towards Palestinians or that of any foreign nation will not change. As a person who suffered the horrors of war and persecution, my advocacy will always be for those that suffer because of the actions of governments.”

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out racism within the Republican Party and defended her colleague. In a fiery speech on the House floor, she said: “I think one of the things we should talk about here – also one of the disgusting legacies after 9/11 – has been the targeting and racism of Muslim Americans in the USA. And this has been an extension of that legacy.”

“I had a member of the Republican Caucus threaten my life and you all and the Republican Caucus rewarded him with one of the prestigious committee assignments in Congress,” she said.

“Don’t tell me this is about consistency. Don’t tell me this is about the condemnation of antisemitic remarks when you have a member of the Republican caucus who has talked about Jewish space lasers… This is about targeting women of colour in the USA.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of seeking “political revenge.”

“I will move immediately to seat Rep. Omar on the House Budget Committee where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism,” Jeffries tweeted after the House vote.