Ilhan Omar voted off panel

The Republican-led US House of Representatives voted after raucous debate last Thursday to oust Democrat Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her past anti-

Israel comments, in a dramatic escalation after Democrats in the last session booted a pair of far-right GOP lawmakers over their own incendiary remarks.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republican support against the Somali-born Muslim woman in the new Congress, although some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations. The 218-211 vote, along party lines, 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 voice will get louder and stronger, and my leadership will be celebrated around the world,” Omar said in a closing speech.

Republicans focused on six statements Omar has made that “under the totality of the circumstances, disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs”, said Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss.

The most well-known of the remarks was a tweet she posed in 2019 in which she claimed that US lawmakers’ support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins”. She subsequently apologised, saying she was learning “the painful history of antisemitic tropes”.

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.”

Omar’s removal was condemned by the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

“Democrats have sought to combat extremism, while the GOP has normalised bigotry and provided a political home for extremists,” JDCA said in a statement.

“We’ve disagreed with Rep. Omar on Israel, condemned her use of antisemitic tropes, and welcomed her apology. Today, we stand with House Democrats in strongly opposing this unjust act of political retribution. We also stand with Muslim Americans calling out this Republican attack for being rooted in bigotry and Islamophobia,” the group added.

In the debate ahead of the vote on Omar, Democrats lined up to express support for their progressive colleague.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky furiously defended Omar, declaring, “I stand before you as a proud Jew and a proud friend and colleague of Ilhan Omar. I don’t need any of you to defend me against antisemitism.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took it one step further, saying that the GOP’s action was one of the “disgusting legacies after 9/11… the targeting and racism against Muslim-Americans throughout the United States of America”.

She added, “This is about targeting women of colour.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who joined Congress with Omar in 2019, the first two female Muslims elected to the House, said through tears, “To Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through this chamber. You belong on that committee.”

Times of Israel