It did not take long for the other shoe to drop. The six official leaders of the Democratic House have condemned Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for “anti-Semitism” and “hatred” because she tweeted last night that the Israel lobby group AIPAC has influence over the Congress “because of the Benjamins” — the money AIPAC helps funnel to Congress to support Israel.
The leaders issued a statement:
Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.
Nancy Pelosi said that Ilhan Omar agrees with the statement:
In our conversation today, Congresswoman Omar and I agreed that we must use this moment to move forward as we reject anti-Semitism in all forms.
Omar said this afternoon that she has “unequivocally apologized.” She said she is learning about “the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole.”
The Democratic leaders are surely terrified that the Democratic Party is going to split over Israel and that it will endanger the party’s consensus and also alienate many of its biggest donors.
Almost all the six leaders who signed the statement (below) have spoken at American Israel Public Affairs Committee — AIPAC– events or been adoring of the Israeli government.
Here is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking at AIPAC’s annual conference. She has called Israel’s creation “the most spectacular political achievement of the 20th century.”
Here is Majority Leader Steny Hoyer appearing at AIPAC.
Here is Hakeem Jeffries speaking at an AIPAC-sponsored event in 2015. He attended Netanyahu’s speech to Congress that the Congressional Black Caucus boycotted as an insult to Obama. The year before he declared at a pro-Israel event at the height of Israel’s massacre of Gaza in 2014: “Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel forever.”
Majority Whip James Clyburn has taken four trips to Israel. At least one of his staff has taken an AIPAC-sponsored trip– from the AIPAC wing the American Israel Educational Foundation.
Here is Katherine Clark meeting with Netanyahu and the rightwing settler-supporting ambassador, David Friedman, along with Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats last year, even as Israel was shooting nonviolent demonstrators at the Gaza border. Pelosi said they had an “excellent meeting.”
Here’s this afternoon’s statement:
In our conversation today, Congresswoman Omar and I agreed that we must use this moment to move forward as we reject anti-Semitism in all forms. https://t.co/UpZA3DNgQs pic.twitter.com/1Z6rH65e3M
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 11, 2019
H/t Abushalom, Allison Deger, James North and Dave Reed.
I’m tempted to change my party affiliation from Democrat to non-partisan over this single issue. I won’t.
Instead, I’ll address the weekly and monthly Party groups I attend and explain to people who are ignorant about how AIPAC operates how this works. I believe that Rep. Omar has been intentionally humiliated over this issue.
Haaretz is reporting that she already apologized but she managed to get it in the open.
Sorry –firewall on this.
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/ilhan-omar-apologizes-for-anti-semitic-tweet-following-backlash-1.
This tropes and memes business is just another way to suppress legitimate speech. It does this by shifting the point away from something’s being true or false to the irrelevant issue of whether someone who was truly an anti-Semite once said it.
I say “A is B.”
Someone says, “You’re an anti-Semite.”
“How does my saying A is B make me an anti-Semite? A is in fact B.”
“Doesn’t matter. Some anti-Semites used to say A is B and it was not true. It’s an anti-Semitic trope.”
“Oh, then should I lie and say pro-Israel supporters in the US do not give money to politicians to get them to support Israel?”
“No, you should just shut up about it.”
That a lone pro-Arab dissident has issued a hostage video apology for suggesting that Israeli money runs Congress should certainly prove that Israeli money doesn’t run Congress.
@amigo
New York Times has this on their front page and has even allowed comments !!
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/11/us/politics/ilhan-omar-anti-semitism.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Some of the comments indicate that Americans including Jewish Americans are becoming sick and tired of this Anti-Semitism and Anti – Semitism “trope” b.llocks. They are also sick and tired of being sold the bare faced lies about AIPAC/Jewish mega donors etc. Sad but not surpising that Pelosi et al are still towing the AIPAC party line but the times they are certainly a changing. The simple fact that there is now a main line MSM discussion about the Japanese Knotweed Zionist Lobby and its control of American policy is a huge step forward.
BTW Have Zionist Jews taken out some sort of patent on the word” trope” just as they have appropriated the term Anti – Semite ? Are there Catholic” tropes” , Baptist ” tropes” , Hindu “tropes”,Pagan “tropes”.