Politics

Omar Explains Stance On Israel-Palestine Conflict

(SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Mike Brest Reporter
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Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar detailed her stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a Washington Post op-ed published Sunday night.

Omar’s op-ed, which discusses her thoughts on U.S. foreign policy as a whole, comes after she’s faced multiple accusations of pushing anti-Semitism under the guise of being critical of Israel.  (RELATED: Omar Facing More Accusations Of Anti-Semitism)

“The founding of Israel 70 years ago was built on the Jewish people’s connection to their historical homeland, as well as the urgency of establishing a nation in the wake of the horror of the Holocaust and the centuries of anti-Semitic oppression leading up to it,” she wrote.

“We must acknowledge that this is also the historical homeland of Palestinians. And without a state, the Palestinian people live in a state of permanent refugeehood and displacement,” she continued.

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (2nd L) speaks as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) (L) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (R) listen during a news conference on prescription drugs January 10, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee when she was a teenager, added:

I support a two-state solution, with internationally recognized borders, which allows for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own sanctuaries and self-determination. This has been official bipartisan U.S. policy across two decades and has been supported by each of the most recent Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the consensus of the Israeli security establishment.

This is not first time she has come out in favor of a two-state solution.

“When I criticize certain Israeli government actions in Gaza or settlements in the West Bank, it is because I believe these actions not only threaten the possibility of peace in the region — they also threaten the United States’ own national security interests,” she wrote in the op-ed.

In February, the Minnesota congresswoman accused the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of buying pro-Israel support from American politicians. She apologized for how she said it but not for bringing up “the problematic role of lobbyists” in politics. Omar was rebuked by both parties and later deleted the tweet. (RELATED: Omar Addresses The Now-Deleted AIPAC Tweet That Sparked Backlash)

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar participates in a news conference to call on Congress to cut funding for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) participates in a news conference to call on Congress to cut funding for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

She most recently received backlash for alleging that members of Congress have a “dual loyalty” with the U.S. and Israel.

Both comments spurred action against her in the form of votes.

After the first comment, the House added a motion to condemn anti-Semitism to a non-related bill, which passed with a 424-0 vote (and two GOP members voting present).

Earlier this month, the House passed a resolution to condemn all types of bigotry after Omar’s “dual loyalty” comment. The resolution was originally going to denounce anti-Semitism, but there was language added to condemn hate against, “African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and others.” It did not specifically name Omar.

Twenty-three Republicans voted against the resolution with many saying they felt the final text no longer accomplished its intended goal.

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