On a day when Minnesota’s 5th district Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar joined a resolution to recognize Israel as “a legitimate and democratic ally and denouncing antisemitism,” she was kicked off the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday morning in a party-line vote by Republicans, ostensibly for past statements widely seen as antisemitic.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that the move comes after accusing Omar of “repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks,” but many say the move is retaliation for two Republican members, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona, getting kicked off committees when Democrats controlled the chamber in 2021.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, the public affairs arm of the community, had no comment on Omar’s ousting.
Omar gave an impassioned speech in the House chamber prior to the vote.
“Who gets to be an American? What opinions do you have to have to be counted as American?” she said. “That is what this debate is about. There is this idea that you are suspect if you are an immigrant. Or if you are from a certain part of the world, of a certain skin tone or a Muslim.”
Omar, prior to her run for Congress, posted several tweets critical of Israel, including accusing it of “hypnotizing the world,” which to many observers echoed centuries-old antisemitic canards about secretive Jewish manipulation and control.
Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel. #Gaza #Palestine #Israel
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 16, 2012
The Tweet resurfaced during the start of the campaign in the early summer, when Omar denounced claims of antisemitism as “bigotry,” but didn’t – and hasn’t – retracted or deleted the original 2012 Tweet.
Drawing attention to the apartheid Israeli regime is far from hating Jews. You are a hateful sad man, I pray to Allah you get the help you need and find happiness. https://t.co/SvEXjlxlEN
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 31, 2018
In 2019, Omar was called out by politicians nationwide and Jewish groups locally and nationally when she posted a tweet equating money to Jewish political control.
Rep. Dean Phillips, Minnesota’s first Jewish Congressman who represents the neighboring 3rd congressional district, had scathing words for Republicans in a speech defending Omar. He pointed out that Omar’s language was not the same as Greene and Gosar’s actions, which include: Posting a video showing the decapitation and killing of fellow members of Congress; questioning whether a plane really hit the Pentagon on 9/11; wondering if school shootings in America are staged; saying that “Jewish space lasers” financed by the Rothschild family are the cause of wildfires in California; equating vaccine mandates with Hitler; and expressing support for executing leaders of the United States Congress.
“Representative Omar and I regularly disagree on policy both domestic and foreign. And she has at times used words that have caused concern, offense, and even personal pain to me and others. She and I have spoken face to face on those occasions and she has apologized and she continues to learn from those missteps,” he said. “Why will 90% of Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives, vote to maintain her committee assignment? Quite simply, because we believe in the human capacity to learn from mistakes, to make amends, and that atonement should be rewarded, not punished.”
Phillips said the Republicans’ weaponization of antisemitism is “shameful.”
“To my friends across the aisle, if you really are sincere about defeating antisemitism in America, how about ask us what we need?” he said. “And let me assure you, you might be surprised by the answer.”
Thank you, Representative Phillips. Very well said.
TC Jewfolk’s article on the justified removal of Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee rightly recites Omar’s despicable past anti-Semitic comments and slander of Israel. I had prepared a comment, but this morning read the very powerful statement issued by the Zionist Organization of America (“ZOA”), which was far better written than I could have drafted. So, I have set it forth in full as follows:
“The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) expressed disappointment, deep offense, even fear and a sense of betrayal after the votes of 211 Members of Congress to support Rep. Ilhan Omar, an antisemite and hater of Israel and America. Thanks to 218 Republican members of the House, Omar was removed from the Foreign Affairs committee, but it is outrageous that Democratic members, including many Jews, placed their partisan concerns above the need to remove a clearly bigoted member of the committee, who is promoting and legitimizing antisemitism and Israel-bashing.
Contrary to the talking points being spread by some, this was not a case of retaliation or partisan revenge. The absurd idea that she is being singled out because she is a Black African Muslim woman immigrant is clearly false. No one has tried to remove other Muslims, immigrants, or African American Representatives from their committees. Some media outlets seem to believe race is the cause of everything in America, but the example of Speaker McCarthy removing the ultra-White Rep. Eric Swalwell and White Jewish Rep. Adam Schiff from the Select Committee on Intelligence proves this analysis is absurd.
The comments made by Rep. Omar were recognized by many Democratic members of Congress to be intolerable and completely unacceptable, and she herself made a fake apology for her words following the uproar her comments provoked. ZOA supported her removal for these outrageous comments. This week, though, she proved that her apology was insincere. Omar claimed on CNN that she was unaware that the word “hypnotized” and conspiracy theories about Jews and money are anti-Jewish tropes.
“I might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in antisemitism.”
Melanie Phillips, a British journalist, said:
“Her protestations of ignorance have drawn widespread incredulity and scorn. In fact, they imply something more unpalatable than being disingenuous.
“Omar thought that what others know to be Jew-hating tropes couldn’t be prejudice because they’re true. So, when she says she didn’t think these tropes constituted antisemitism, she reveals just how antisemitic she actually is.”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said:
“I am outraged, and as the child of Holocaust survivors, actually frightened, by the betrayal of almost half the members of the House of Representatives who so quickly de-prioritize their disapproval of antisemitism in voting to support this Jew-hating member of Congress. It is shocking that partisan concerns are more important than their core American values.
“This is particularly true for the 27 Jewish members of Congress. I am sorry to observe the fact that all the votes for Omar came from the Democratic side of the aisle, making a mockery of the supposed concern for Israel and against antisemitism in the party.
“If Omar had never said a single antisemitic word in her life, she still should have been removed from the Foreign Affairs committee, because she is so anti-American and does not believe Israel should even exist. She opposes all sanctions against Iran, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba, but believes in one exception – Israel should be boycotted and sanctioned. She has asked judges for sympathy for convicted ISIS terrorists. She has condemned Jews for caring more about Israel than America. She speaks at CAIR conferences even though they have sympathies to terrorist groups and hate and condemn America’s greatest ally. Her removal from this committee is earned by her own outrageous conduct.”
ZOA Director of Government Relations Dan Pollak said:
“ZOA is non-partisan, and it is painful to observe that all of the votes to support this Jew-hating Congresswoman came from the Democrats in the House. It is sad that pro-Israel members, who will privately express their belief that her comments are completely antisemitic, join with the most extreme members of the so-called ‘Squad,’ to defend Omar’s hateful, bigoted words. As Americans, we take offense that these members of Congress could not place their country before party when it comes to standing against Jew-hatred and hatred against America’s greatest ally, the Jewish State of Israel.” (The link to the ZOA’s website is: https://zoa.org/2023/02/10446839-zoa-is-disappointed-offended-and-frightened-by-211-u-s-house-votes-supporting-jew-hating-israel-hating-rep-ilhan-omar/)
To elaborate, we remember back in 2019 when Omar repeated the age-old slur that Jews held dual loyalty. As she said at the time, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country [Israel].” A few days later she asserted that she “should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on the committee.” Surely these slurs reveal Omar publicly accusing Jewish Americans of holding dual loyalties.
Indeed, at that time, the Democrat leader in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland (a strong supporter of Israel on the Democratic side), warned that such statements by Omar were “particularly dangerous,” considering the experience of Jews throughout the centuries.
At the same time, Omar suggested in a now deleted tweet that Jewish Americans were buying the support of politicians for Israel, making the infamous slur that “it’s all about the Benjamin’s baby.”
Moreover, Omar has very little credibility on these matters. In 2018, in a debate at Beth El during her campaign for election to the House, she declared that the BDS movement (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) against Israel “was not helpful in getting the two-state solution.” However, shortly after she was elected, she was whistling a different tune, telling Lonny Goldsmith at TC Jewfolk that “I believe and support the BDS movement.” Apparently, that is still her position today. Surely, most rational, thoughtful people understand that someone who explicitly declares support for BDS should not be sitting on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
Representative Phillips, in his House speech, talked about Omar’s “atonement” for these past statements. Apparently, Omar has not atoned enough, since just last year she and her fellow Minnesotan, Rep. Betty McCollum, introduced into Congress a resolution labeling Israel as a “Nakba,” which is Arabic for “disaster.” To his credit, Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of JCRC, forthrightly issued a statement on July 14, 2022, condemning such a “deeply misguided resolution,” which was cosponsored by Omar and McCollum. Mr. Hunegs’ informative and insightful statement appears as follows:
“President Biden’s unequivocal position in support of Israel is a welcome contrast to the deep hostility towards Israel demonstrated by a resolution labeling Israel as a ‘Nakba’ which is Arabic for ‘disaster.’ The resolution essentially demands that Israel grant citizenship to 7 million Palestinians, which would erase the Jewish majority and mean the end of Jewish national sovereignty. The resolution found few backers in Congress but, to our profound dismay, this deeply misguided resolution was co-sponsored by Twin Cities Representatives Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar. By championing this resolution, Representatives McCollum and Omar are supporting the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Any recognition of the Jewish people’s inviolable connection to the Land of Israel, or a fair understanding of the historical context which led to the establishment of the State of Israel and the current status of Palestinians, is absent from this one-sided resolution.”
I assume Rep. Phillips did not support such a hideous resolution in the House. Perhaps Rep. Omar needs to do further atonement. In any event, she need not sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee to perform atonement. Does anyone in the Jewish community seriously believe that any elected official who describes Israel as a “disaster” deserves a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee?
Speaking of Democrats in Congress, we should also note that Rep. McCollum has referred to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the chief lobbying organization for Israel) as a “hate group.” Has any Democrat condemned Rep. McCollum for making such a despicable charge? Another Democrat, Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, infamously described Jews living on the West Bank in Israel as “termites.” Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, after returning from a trip to Israel, called Israel an “apartheid state” like South Africa, and compared IDF soldiers to “birds of prey.” And Rep. Omar’s fellow member of The Squad, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, has declared that “Israel is a racist state.” Did TC Jewfolk ever denounce such despicable slurs from these Democratic members of Congress? And it should be noted of course that the Democrats did not remove any of these members from their respective Committees.
And then we have the chief Democrat himself, President Biden, who, during the 2020 campaign, used a despicable Holocaust analogy when he compared President Trump to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s minister of propaganda in the Third Reich. In his speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the President compared “MAGA Republicans” to “semi-fascists.” And, last month the President actually compared the illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border to Jews fleeing Germany during the Holocaust. Not to be outdone, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in another repulsive Holocaust analogy, called U.S. troops, sent by President Trump to protect U.S. courthouses in Seattle and Portland during the riots in 2020, as “storm troopers.” I heard no condemnation from TC Jewfolk, even though it was quick to condemn Republicans Scott Jensen and Kim Crockett during the midterm elections last fall.
TC Jewfolk and other organizations have been quick to condemn Republicans for remarks perceived as anti-Semitic (which is rich in view of the statements outlined, above, spewed forth by Democrats). So, I would like to close by reprinting below the very powerful statement adopted by the State Republican Party at its convention in Rochester in May of last year, which was unanimously approved by the State Party’s Central Committee. Here is the State GOP’s Declaration of Support and Position Paper for Israel:
Declaration of Support and Israel Position Paper for the Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota supports a robust American-Israeli alliance, as a strong and vibrant Israel is a strategic asset to the United States in the Middle East, and a loyal and valuable ally on the world stage. Accordingly, we support U.S. military aid to Israel, which was codified into law by the US-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018, providing a $38 billion defense aid package for Israel over 10 years. We strongly oppose current efforts by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to cut such defensive aid to Israel, especially when Israel has been under attack from terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, who are currently supported by Iran, the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
We applauded President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the flawed Iranian nuclear deal, negotiated by President Obama, and to reimpose strong sanctions on the corrupt Iranian regime, which continues to repress its citizens. America stands with the people of Iran, not its fanatical dictators who have supplied tens of thousands of missiles to Hamas and Hezbollah, who placed them in Gaza and southern Lebanon, pointed toward Israel. Earlier this year, we watched in horror as Hamas launched over 4,000 missiles from Gaza against civilian areas in Israel, killing many Israelis. It was only because of the Iron Dome missile defense system, funded by the U.S., that more Israeli civilians were not killed.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, has publicly declared that “Israel is evil,” that American Jews have dual loyalty, and that for Jews “it’s all about the Benjamins baby.” These are hideous statements, expressing her vile anti-Semitism. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has called Israel a “racist and apartheid state.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In contrast to its neighbors, Israel is a pluralistic society in which Christians, Muslims, and Jews are all citizens who are free to participate in Israel’s vibrant democracy, and who can worship freely according to the dictates of their faith in their respective churches, mosques, and synagogues.
We commended President Trump on his courageous decision to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the state of Israel, and to finally move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as he promised he would do during his campaign.
We will continue to speak out against the poisonous anti-Semitism spewing forth from Democrats like Representatives Omar and Tlaib, along with others who share their views such as Representative McCollum of Minnesota, and this directly from the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority must remove its repugnant comment, found in textbooks in its schools, that “Jews are the descendants of monkeys, pigs, and apes,” and must stop paying “stipends” to the families of terrorists who kill innocent Israelis and Americans alike. In that regard, we strongly supported the Taylor Force Act, enacted under President Trump, which ordered U.S. aid to Gaza and the West Bank cut unless and until the Palestinian Authority stopped such payments. Regrettably, President Biden has announced that he will now reinstate them.
While there are some who may disagree with certain Israeli policies, delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, however, transcends any such parameter. The Jewish presence in what is now the State of Israel along with the surrounding territories associated with the Palestinians, dates back to antiquity, as continuing archeological discoveries reaffirm. Israel represents the institutionalization of a Jewish history that absolutely exists for legitimate historical reasons. That many within the Democratic Party, especially Representatives Tlaib, Omar, and others of their ilk, seek the destruction of Israel on the basis of a wholly fallacious argument that Israel is a manifestation of European colonialism speaks to their extremism, ignorance and hypocrisy. The State of Israel grew out of the ashes of the Holocaust, but its origins go back thousands of years, and the Democratic Party would do well to acknowledge that fact and treat those in their party who call for Israel’s destruction with the kind of opprobrium they usually reserve for those with whom they disagree on other issues. For all these reasons, we in the Republican Party of Minnesota will continue to be tireless advocates and supporters of Israel, an outpost of true democracy in the Middle East, and America’s most cherished ally.
Mark R. Miller
Minneapolis
TC Jewfolk’s article on the justified removal of Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee rightly recites Omar’s despicable past anti-Semitic comments and slander of Israel. I had prepared a comment, but this morning read the very powerful statement issued by the Zionist Organization of America (“ZOA”), which was far better written than I could have drafted. So, I have set it forth in full as follows:
“The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) expressed disappointment, deep offense, even fear and a sense of betrayal after the votes of 211 Members of Congress to support Rep. Ilhan Omar, an antisemite and hater of Israel and America. Thanks to 218 Republican members of the House, Omar was removed from the Foreign Affairs committee, but it is outrageous that Democratic members, including many Jews, placed their partisan concerns above the need to remove a clearly bigoted member of the committee, who is promoting and legitimizing antisemitism and Israel-bashing.
Contrary to the talking points being spread by some, this was not a case of retaliation or partisan revenge. The absurd idea that she is being singled out because she is a Black African Muslim woman immigrant is clearly false. No one has tried to remove other Muslims, immigrants, or African American Representatives from their committees. Some media outlets seem to believe race is the cause of everything in America, but the example of Speaker McCarthy removing the ultra-White Rep. Eric Swalwell and White Jewish Rep. Adam Schiff from the Select Committee on Intelligence proves this analysis is absurd.
The comments made by Rep. Omar were recognized by many Democratic members of Congress to be intolerable and completely unacceptable, and she herself made a fake apology for her words following the uproar her comments provoked. ZOA supported her removal for these outrageous comments. This week, though, she proved that her apology was insincere. Omar claimed on CNN that she was unaware that the word “hypnotized” and conspiracy theories about Jews and money are anti-Jewish tropes.
“I might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in antisemitism.”
Melanie Phillips, a British journalist, said:
“Her protestations of ignorance have drawn widespread incredulity and scorn. In fact, they imply something more unpalatable than being disingenuous.
“Omar thought that what others know to be Jew-hating tropes couldn’t be prejudice because they’re true. So, when she says she didn’t think these tropes constituted antisemitism, she reveals just how antisemitic she actually is.”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said:
“I am outraged, and as the child of Holocaust survivors, actually frightened, by the betrayal of almost half the members of the House of Representatives who so quickly de-prioritize their disapproval of antisemitism in voting to support this Jew-hating member of Congress. It is shocking that partisan concerns are more important than their core American values.
“This is particularly true for the 27 Jewish members of Congress. I am sorry to observe the fact that all the votes for Omar came from the Democratic side of the aisle, making a mockery of the supposed concern for Israel and against antisemitism in the party.
“If Omar had never said a single antisemitic word in her life, she still should have been removed from the Foreign Affairs committee, because she is so anti-American and does not believe Israel should even exist. She opposes all sanctions against Iran, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba, but believes in one exception – Israel should be boycotted and sanctioned. She has asked judges for sympathy for convicted ISIS terrorists. She has condemned Jews for caring more about Israel than America. She speaks at CAIR conferences even though they have sympathies to terrorist groups and hate and condemn America’s greatest ally. Her removal from this committee is earned by her own outrageous conduct.”
ZOA Director of Government Relations Dan Pollak said:
“ZOA is non-partisan, and it is painful to observe that all of the votes to support this Jew-hating Congresswoman came from the Democrats in the House. It is sad that pro-Israel members, who will privately express their belief that her comments are completely antisemitic, join with the most extreme members of the so-called ‘Squad,’ to defend Omar’s hateful, bigoted words. As Americans, we take offense that these members of Congress could not place their country before party when it comes to standing against Jew-hatred and hatred against America’s greatest ally, the Jewish State of Israel.” (The link to the ZOA’s website is: https://zoa.org/2023/02/10446839-zoa-is-disappointed-offended-and-frightened-by-211-u-s-house-votes-supporting-jew-hating-israel-hating-rep-ilhan-omar/)
To elaborate, we remember back in 2019 when Omar repeated the age-old slur that Jews held dual loyalty. As she said at the time, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country [Israel].” A few days later she asserted that she “should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on the committee.” Surely these slurs reveal Omar publicly accusing Jewish Americans of holding dual loyalties.
Indeed, at that time, the Democrat leader in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland (a strong supporter of Israel on the Democratic side), warned that such statements by Omar were “particularly dangerous,” considering the experience of Jews throughout the centuries.
At the same time, Omar suggested in a now deleted tweet that Jewish Americans were buying the support of politicians for Israel, making the infamous slur that “it’s all about the Benjamin’s baby.”
Moreover, Omar has very little credibility on these matters. In 2018, in a debate at Beth El during her campaign for election to the House, she declared that the BDS movement (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) against Israel “was not helpful in getting the two-state solution.” However, shortly after she was elected, she was whistling a different tune, telling Lonny Goldsmith at TC Jewfolk that “I believe and support the BDS movement.” Apparently, that is still her position today. Surely, most rational, thoughtful people understand that someone who explicitly declares support for BDS should not be sitting on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
Representative Phillips, in his House speech, talked about Omar’s “atonement” for these past statements. Apparently, Omar has not atoned enough, since just last year she and her fellow Minnesotan, Rep. Betty McCollum, introduced into Congress a resolution labeling Israel as a “Nakba,” which is Arabic for “disaster.” To his credit, Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of JCRC, forthrightly issued a statement on July 14, 2022, condemning such a “deeply misguided resolution,” which was cosponsored by Omar and McCollum. Mr. Hunegs’ informative and insightful statement appears as follows:
“President Biden’s unequivocal position in support of Israel is a welcome contrast to the deep hostility towards Israel demonstrated by a resolution labeling Israel as a ‘Nakba’ which is Arabic for ‘disaster.’ The resolution essentially demands that Israel grant citizenship to 7 million Palestinians, which would erase the Jewish majority and mean the end of Jewish national sovereignty. The resolution found few backers in Congress but, to our profound dismay, this deeply misguided resolution was co-sponsored by Twin Cities Representatives Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar. By championing this resolution, Representatives McCollum and Omar are supporting the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Any recognition of the Jewish people’s inviolable connection to the Land of Israel, or a fair understanding of the historical context which led to the establishment of the State of Israel and the current status of Palestinians, is absent from this one-sided resolution.”
I assume Rep. Phillips did not support such a hideous resolution in the House. Perhaps Rep. Omar needs to do further atonement. In any event, she need not sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee to perform atonement. Does anyone in the Jewish community seriously believe that any elected official who describes Israel as a “disaster” deserves a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee?
Speaking of Democrats in Congress, we should also note that Rep. McCollum has referred to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the chief lobbying organization for Israel) as a “hate group.” Has any Democrat condemned Rep. McCollum for making such a despicable charge? Another Democrat, Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, infamously described Jews living on the West Bank in Israel as “termites.” Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, after returning from a trip to Israel, called Israel an “apartheid state” like South Africa, and compared IDF soldiers to “birds of prey.” And Rep. Omar’s fellow member of The Squad, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, has declared that “Israel is a racist state.” Did TC Jewfolk ever denounce such despicable slurs from these Democratic members of Congress? And it should be noted of course that the Democrats did not remove any of these members from their respective Committees.
And then we have the chief Democrat himself, President Biden, who, during the 2020 campaign, used a despicable Holocaust analogy when he compared President Trump to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s minister of propaganda in the Third Reich. In his speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the President compared “MAGA Republicans” to “semi-fascists.” And, last month the President actually compared the illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border to Jews fleeing Germany during the Holocaust. Not to be outdone, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in another repulsive Holocaust analogy, called U.S. troops, sent by President Trump to protect U.S. courthouses in Seattle and Portland during the riots in 2020, as “storm troopers.” I heard no condemnation from TC Jewfolk, even though it was quick to condemn Republicans Scott Jensen and Kim Crockett during the midterm elections last fall.
TC Jewfolk and other organizations have been quick to condemn Republicans for remarks perceived as anti-Semitic (which is rich in view of the statements outlined, above, spewed forth by Democrats). So, I would like to close by reprinting below the very powerful statement adopted by the State Republican Party at its convention in Rochester in May of last year, which was unanimously approved by the State Party’s Central Committee. Here is the State GOP’s Declaration of Support and Position Paper for Israel:
Declaration of Support and Israel Position Paper for the Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota supports a robust American-Israeli alliance, as a strong and vibrant Israel is a strategic asset to the United States in the Middle East, and a loyal and valuable ally on the world stage. Accordingly, we support U.S. military aid to Israel, which was codified into law by the US-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018, providing a $38 billion defense aid package for Israel over 10 years. We strongly oppose current efforts by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to cut such defensive aid to Israel, especially when Israel has been under attack from terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, who are currently supported by Iran, the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
We applauded President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the flawed Iranian nuclear deal, negotiated by President Obama, and to reimpose strong sanctions on the corrupt Iranian regime, which continues to repress its citizens. America stands with the people of Iran, not its fanatical dictators who have supplied tens of thousands of missiles to Hamas and Hezbollah, who placed them in Gaza and southern Lebanon, pointed toward Israel. Earlier this year, we watched in horror as Hamas launched over 4,000 missiles from Gaza against civilian areas in Israel, killing many Israelis. It was only because of the Iron Dome missile defense system, funded by the U.S., that more Israeli civilians were not killed.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, has publicly declared that “Israel is evil,” that American Jews have dual loyalty, and that for Jews “it’s all about the Benjamins baby.” These are hideous statements, expressing her vile anti-Semitism. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has called Israel a “racist and apartheid state.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In contrast to its neighbors, Israel is a pluralistic society in which Christians, Muslims, and Jews are all citizens who are free to participate in Israel’s vibrant democracy, and who can worship freely according to the dictates of their faith in their respective churches, mosques, and synagogues.
We commended President Trump on his courageous decision to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the state of Israel, and to finally move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as he promised he would do during his campaign.
We will continue to speak out against the poisonous anti-Semitism spewing forth from Democrats like Representatives Omar and Tlaib, along with others who share their views such as Representative McCollum of Minnesota, and this directly from the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority must remove its repugnant comment, found in textbooks in its schools, that “Jews are the descendants of monkeys, pigs, and apes,” and must stop paying “stipends” to the families of terrorists who kill innocent Israelis and Americans alike. In that regard, we strongly supported the Taylor Force Act, enacted under President Trump, which ordered U.S. aid to Gaza and the West Bank cut unless and until the Palestinian Authority stopped such payments. Regrettably, President Biden has announced that he will now reinstate them.
While there are some who may disagree with certain Israeli policies, delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, however, transcends any such parameter. The Jewish presence in what is now the State of Israel along with the surrounding territories associated with the Palestinians, dates back to antiquity, as continuing archeological discoveries reaffirm. Israel represents the institutionalization of a Jewish history that absolutely exists for legitimate historical reasons. That many within the Democratic Party, especially Representatives Tlaib, Omar, and others of their ilk, seek the destruction of Israel on the basis of a wholly fallacious argument that Israel is a manifestation of European colonialism speaks to their extremism, ignorance and hypocrisy. The State of Israel grew out of the ashes of the Holocaust, but its origins go back thousands of years, and the Democratic Party would do well to acknowledge that fact and treat those in their party who call for Israel’s destruction with the kind of opprobrium they usually reserve for those with whom they disagree on other issues. For all these reasons, we in the Republican Party of Minnesota will continue to be tireless advocates and supporters of Israel, an outpost of true democracy in the Middle East, and America’s most cherished ally.
Mark R. Miller
Minneapolis