The Congressional Black Caucus has issued a statement backing Rep. Ilhan Omar after she put forth polarizing tweets regarding ongoing conflicts in Israel and Palestine. Members of the CBC said that Omar was a "valued member" of the organization and that her comments were taken out of context to shift attention away from more pressing issues.
“Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is a valued member of the Congressional Black Caucus Family, she represents a strong voice on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,” the CBC stated.
“Furthermore, we appreciate her clarification of her recent remarks and find that this is another example of Republicans taking it out of context to shift the real attention from the abhorrent, disrespectful, and intemperate remarks of members of their own Conference.”
Omar became the target of attacks from Republican lawmakers after she issued a series of tweets addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity," she tweeted.
“We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban. I asked Secretary Antony Blinken where people are supposed to go for justice."
As Republican congress members pushed back against Omar's statements, Democrats asked that she clarify her remarks. Omar noted that her conversations with Blinken were about “accountability for specific incidents” under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
“I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,” she explained.
While Omar was being verbally targeted by Republicans, Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene attempted to compare COVID-19 protocols to the Holocaust. Greene was later forced to apologize for her inflammatory statements. Democratic lawmakers have also backed Omar by saying that she should not have received the same level of backlash that Greene should have.
“[Omar] should not be mentioned in the same breath as Marjorie Taylor Greene, in my view,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal added.
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