News / Politics

GOP lawmakers seek to remove Omar from committees over her criticism of Israel

Wednesday, 03 February 2021 6:57 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 03 February 2021 6:57 AM ]

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (File photo)

House GOP lawmakers are seeking to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from her committee assignments over her criticism of Israel.

The move to remove the Muslim Congresswoman from the House Foreign Affairs Committee comes in opposition to calls from Democratic leaders to remove GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) from her committee assignments over some of her remarks and actions in recent years.

In addition to her support of QAnon, Greene backed former President Donald Trump’s claims that the presidential election was rigged. On social media, she "liked" posts calling for violence against prominent Democrats and argued that deadly mass shootings were staged.

The House is set to consider a measure, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), this week to strip Greene of her seats on two committees — Budget as well as Education and Labor.

A proposed GOP-backed amendment to the measure, revealed by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) on Tuesday, calls for Omar to be removed from her committee assignments as well.

Babin, Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Jody Hice (R-GA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Ronny Jackson (R-TX) sponsored the amendment. They argue that Omar has made anti-Semitic comments that are grounds for dismissal.

US officials regularly brand critics of the Israeli regime and its illegal actions as anti-Semitic. The United States even has a special envoy to “monitor and combat anti-Semitism.”

Anti-Semitic Israeli Regime

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Omar, in 2019, suggested that American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, was paying politicians to take a favorable stance toward Israel.

“I reaffirm the problematic role of our lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It’s gone on too long and we must be willing to address it,” she said in a tweet on Feb. 11, 2019.

AIPAC is known for being the main architect of US policies throughout the Middle East, and has been criticized repeatedly for wielding disproportionate influence in the US Congress.

Babin, when proposing the amendment, said Omar’s remarks during one of Israel’s fights against the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement in Gaza also justify her dismissal.