Republican moves to denounce Ilhan Omar for Jewish student comment

On Tuesday, a member of the Republican House of Representatives submitted a motion to condemn Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar for her statement that certain Jewish college students in the United States were "pro-genocide."

This comes as there is continued protesting nationwide at various universities and other areas of interest against Israel's response to Hamas's attack on Oct. 7 of last year. The Washington Times reported on the censure, pointing out some of Omar's previous stances on the issue of race in the Middle East.

“It’s unacceptable to say, calling Jewish Americans that are Americans, calling them pro-genocide. It’s just unacceptable. So I want to take a bold stand,” Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, told reporters.

Reason for Censure

The criticism comes as a result of statements made by Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, during her visit to Columbia University last week. Her statements were intended to demonstrate her support for the pro-Palestinian encampment occurring on the school.

The students have been protesting Israel consistently for weeks, pushing for leniency for Palestinian Hamas militants behind the terror rampage across southern Israel, and chanting about Israel moving out of their ancestral land.

“I actually met a lot of Jewish students that are in the encampments,” she said when asked about her visit.

“I think it is really unfortunate that people don’t care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe and that we should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide,” she said.

From the Motion

Ms. Omar is called out in the resolution of censure for what it describes as her "history of hateful rhetoric that plays into the worst antisemitic tropes."

“Omar’s slanderous comments against Jewish students could inflame violence against the Jewish community,” the resolution says.

Ms. Omar, who is a Muslim and the first Somali-American to ever serve in Congress, is a member of the "Squad" of members who sit on the far left of the political spectrum.

Since October, she has been advocating for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In the month of February, she was dismissed from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.