Israel-hating Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has repeatedly displayed deep-seated, dangerous anti-Semitism and hatred towards the Jewish people.
Rep. Omar falsely called Israel “evil” and an “apartheid regime.” She promotes anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS)—the delegitimization and economic destruction of Israel—after lying to voters about her BDS position while running for Congress. Rep. Omar sought reduced sentences for ISIS terrorists, a position that endangers every American. And she’s never apologized for any of these issues.
The Democratic House leadership’s recent condemnations of Rep. Omar are an important first step, but they are not enough, especially because she immediately backtracked on her phony “non-apologies” by again defaming Jews and Israel.
From the outset, the Zionist Organization of America urged that Ilhan Rep. Omar must be removed from the House Foreign Relations Committee, which is a position that enables her to harm U.S.-Israel relations and mainstream her virulent anti-Semitism. We are thankful that this week, U.S. President Trump called for Rep. Omar’s ouster from the committee, at a minimum.
Rep. Omar’s most recent anti-Semitic tweets—that a Jewish lobby organization (AIPAC) and money cause Congress to support Israel—are woefully wrong. Congress supports Israel because the American people, Jewish and non-Jewish, support Israel; it’s the moral thing to do, and both nations share democratic values and strategic interests.
Rep. Omar’s anti-Semitic “Jewish money” tweets prompted us to examine her own funders. ZOA’s analysis of Rep. Her Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings found that her financial supporters include a veritable “Who’s Who” of anti-Israel propagandists and haters and anti-Israel PACs. For instance:
- BDS leader Hatem Bazian, who founded the virulent and sometimes violent anti-Israel organizations Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), gave Rep. Omar three contributions. Bazian’s agenda is Israel’s destruction. He is a leader of the anti-Israel boycott movement on college campuses and throughout the world; has called for “intifada” in the United States; and persistently spreads classic anti-Semitic falsehoods against Israel.
- CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) is one of Rep. Omar’s top 20 contributors. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror financing trial, for funneling money to Hamas. FBI testimony reportedly indicated that CAIR is a Hamas front group. IPT detailed CAIR leaders’ statements supporting Hamas, and the HLF trial judge’s ruling that the government’s evidence created “at least a prima facie case as to CAIR’s involvement in a conspiracy to support Hamas.” CAIR-CA PAC gave her $5,000.
- In addition, CAIR-CA’s executive director, Hussam Ayloush, who called for Israel’s “termination,” gave Ilhan Omar $1,200. A CAIR Florida employee gave Rep. Omar another $500.
- James Zogby, president of the anti-Israel Arab-American Institute (AAI), chairman of the anti-Israel Palestine Human Rights Campaign, and a major anti-Israel propagandist, gave Rep. Omar $2,700. Zogby falsely accused Israel of committing a “Holocaust” against Palestinians; called Israelis “Nazis”; campaigned to prevent the extradition to Israel of a Fatah terrorist who killed two Israeli teenagers and wounded 36 other Israelis; called Cuban-American Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen an “Israel-firster” (an anti-Semitic trope implying dual loyalty); praised the intifada as a “good story”; and was a leading architect of propaganda themes used to pry progressive Jews away from supporting Israel.
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who wrapped herself in the flag of Mahmoud Abbas’s murderous, hostile, Palestinian-Arab regime to celebrate her election win, sent Rep. Omar three contributions. Tlaib also supports replacing Israel with a Palestinian Arab state, repeatedly hurls false accusations at Israel, says that Israel doesn’t deserve human rights, and invoked anti-Semitic disloyalty-to-America smears against U.S. senators who sponsored an anti-BDS bill.
- A professor from California Islamic University, which “arm[s] [students] with tools needed to spread Islam wherever they go,” donated to Rep. Omar.
- The Soros-funded MoveOn.Org, which attempted to kill the pro-Israel anti-BDS bill and essentially blackmailed congresspersons to support the disastrous Iran deal, gave Rep. Omar $5,000 and was one of hers top 20 contributors. MoveOn.org also co-founded Avaaz, which initiates extremely offensive, falsehood-filled anti-Israel campaigns, including campaigns to release Palestinian Arab terrorist Ahed Tamimi, and for Ireland’s dangerous BDS Bill.
- A $500 donor to Rep. Omar showed his wife wearing Hamas scarves and put on his Facebook profile, stating in Arabic: “Jerusalem is ours, WE ARE COMING!” and include maps in the shape of Israel over-written with the words: “Palestine” and “From the river to the sea!” (the well-known phrase calling for Israel’s extinction).
- OneVoice gave Rep. Omar $1,000. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ 2016 bipartisan staff report found that OneVoice used campaign infrastructure built with $350,000 of taxpayer money, granted by President Obama’s State Department, to interfere with Israel’s election and fund efforts to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Bend the Arc Jewish Action Inc. PAC, founded and chaired by anti-Zionist George Soros’s son, Alex Soros, gave Rep. Omar $1,000. Blogger Victor Rosenthal explained that Bend the Arc funnels Jewish contributions to left-wing politicians who support anti-Israel policies, without mentioning Israel, to enable left-leaning Jewish contributors to donate to anti-Israel politicians (such as Ilhan Omar) without feeling guilty about betraying their people.
- Debbie (Dhabah) Almontaser, who defended an Arab Women’s group for hawking “Intifada NYC” T-shirts that glorify Palestinian-Arab terror, gave Omar $500.
Rep. Omar’s most recent non-apology added: “At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry.” Hypocritically however, Rep. Omar accepted oil money from Beowulf Energy’s principal Nazar Khan ($2,000); Giant Oil president Basem Ali ($2,000); and an ExxonMobil specialist.
She also hypocritically accepted approximately $190,000 of PAC money.
Disappointingly, “Nancy Pelosi for Congress,” previously gave Rep. Omar $2,000. Now that Rep. Omar has repeatedly displayed her deep-seated anti-Semitism, Speaker Pelosi has condemned those comments, saying “Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive.” We hope Speaker Pelosi will discontinue financially supporting Rep. Omar and immediately remove her from the House Foreign Relations Committee.
Rep. Omar must be isolated, defunded and removed from positions—meaning from every committee where she can carry out the extremist anti-Israel anti-American agenda of those who are backing her financially.
Morton A. Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. Elizabeth A. Berney is ZOA’s director of special projects.
