A New York congressman railed against Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar after the Minnesota Democrat asserted that Israel should not fight back against Hamas and called its military efforts a ‘war crime’.
On Monday, Omar said she opposed an Israeli military response and said that ‘peace and justice will not come from the barrel of a gun.’
Rep. Mike Lawler, a republican representing New York’s 17th congressional district, wrote on X: ‘Israel was just brutally attacked by terrorists, funded by Iran, and you (Omar) want to cut off funding and military aid and equipment.
‘You are out of your mind and unfit to serve in the House of Representatives. This is why you were removed from the Foreign Affairs committee.’
In February, Omar was removed from the committee with fellow Republicans in Congress citing her anti-Israel rhetoric in the past as the reason.
The surprise terror attack by Hamas on Israel at the weekend killed more than 900 people.
In her statement on Monday, Omar attacked Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s actions against Hamas, calling it ‘collective punishment’ and a ‘war crime.’
Rep. Ilhan Omar made headlines again with incendiary comments in which she called Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal attacks a ‘war crime’
Omar’s came as Israeli forces continue to pound Gaza in response to Hamas’ heinous attacks
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, called out Omar and said that she is not fit to serve in Congress
‘The Israeli Defense Minister has called Palestinians ‘human animals’ and promised to cut off all electricity, all food, and all fuel to civilians in Gaza,’ she said.
Omar is a member of the left-wing group of Democrats in Congress known as The Squad.
They have made their position on Israel abundantly clear over the years. Several of them boycotted Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress earlier this year.
On Monday, Omar said on X that the humanity of both ‘innocent Palestinian civilians’ and the ‘the hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and 9 Americans who were killed this weekend’ should be honored equally.
‘As the world is condemning Hamas’s attacks, we must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including nearly two dozen children.’
She added: ‘The solution to this horror, as ever, is a negotiated peace—with Israelis and Palestinians enjoying equal rights and security guarantees.
‘Instead of continuing unconditional weapons sales and military aid to Israel, I urge the United States at long last to use its diplomatic might to push for peace,’ the Democrat, who has been accused of marrying her brother in the past, added.
Gates McGavick, the communications director for the Republican National Committee, was also angered by Omar’s words.
In a series of posts on X, Omar called out the Israeli response to the attack
Rep. Mike Lawler fought back against the claims
Omar called for ‘international’ protections in Gaza after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched surprise multi-front attacks in Israel on Saturday
In a statement, Rep. Rashida Tlaib referred to Israel as an ‘apartheid government’ which is responsible for the ‘suffering’ that caused the attacks. That was followed by a similar statement from Rep. Cori Bush
‘This is the literal definition of negotiating with terrorists,’ he wrote.
It emerged on Monday that fellow Squad member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, was still displaying a Palestinian flag outside of her House office following the weekend attacks.
The progressive Michigan Democrat failed to specifically condemn Hamas in her statement about the horrific violence that occurred in Israel over the weekend, and instead called upon the US government to stop funding Israel.
In total, eight progressive members of the Democratic caucus failed to back Israel against the existential threat it is facing: Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar , Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush , Greg Casar, and Summer Lee all came up short over the weekend.
Also on Monday, liberal Democrat Ritchie Torres took aim at Tlaib as well as Rep. Cori Bush calling their comments on the bloody conflict ‘reprehensible and repulsive.’
In a statement, Rep. Tlaib referred to Israel as an ‘apartheid government’ which is responsible for the ‘suffering’ that caused the attacks. Tlaib referred to Hamas as the ‘resistance’ in the same statement. Both representatives called on the Biden administration to stop supporting Israel.
‘I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity.’
‘The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,’ Tlaib said in her statement.
Rep. Cori Bush later released a similar statement.
Meanwhile in a statement to the Jewish Insider, Rep. Torres struck a different chord compared to his other liberals. ‘US aid to Israel is and should be unconditional, and never more so than in this moment of critical need. Congress must act decisively to provide Israel with whatever it needs to defend itself in the face of unprecedented terrorism.’
‘Shame on anyone who glorifies as ‘resistance’ the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. It is reprehensible and repulsive.’
Torres, 35, was elected to represent New York’s 15 congressional district in 2020. In 2019, he called himself ‘the embodiment of a pro-Israel progressive’ in 2019.
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