- The Washington Times
Thursday, January 17, 2019

Rep. Ilhan Omar has apologized for her wording of an anti-Israel tweet she wrote several years ago that many are characterizing as anti-Semitic.

“Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel,” the newly elected Minnesota Democrat, an open supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, tweeted in 2012.


Some critics said Mrs. Omar‘s use of the word “hypnotized” invoked an anti-Semitic trope about a Jewish cabal having taken over the world.

The tweet remains active on Mrs. Omar‘s account.

Speaking to PBS reporter Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday evening, Mrs. Omar apologized for her words but not the sentiment, which she expressed during an Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

“I remember when that was happening, watching TV and really feeling as if no other life was being impacted in this war and that really, those unfortunate words were the only words I could think about expressing at that moment,” Mrs. Omar explained.

“What is really important to me is that people recognize that there is a difference between criticizing a military action by a government that has exercised really oppressive policies and being offensive or [attacking] a particular people of faith,” she said.

Mrs. Omar said she attacks Saudi Arabia for its human rights violations in a similar way.

“Because to me, it is important, when you see oppression taking place, when you see aggressiveness happening, when you see our values being attacked as humans, you must stand up,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter who the inhabiters of that particular region might be, what matters is who is leading it.”

Mrs. Omar was one of the first two Muslim women and the first Somali-American to be sworn into Congress this month. She sparked a backlash in November when she expressed her support for the BDS movement for the first time several days after her election.


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