Bernie, who is Jewish, defended Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, from bogus charges of anti-Semitism.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) Wednesday amid an avalanche of criticism she’s received over comments about Israel that some have slammed as anti-Semitic.
“Anti-Semitism is a hateful and dangerous ideology which must be vigorously opposed in the United States and around the world. We must not, however, equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel. Rather, we must develop an even-handed Middle East policy which brings Israelis and Palestinians together for a lasting peace,” he said in a statement to The Hill.
“What I fear is going on in the House now is an effort to target Congresswoman Omar as a way of stifling that debate. That's wrong.”
The Hill
Bernie joins other progressives like AOC in defending Congresswoman Omar:
WASHINGTON – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came to the defense of fellow congressional freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar on social media as the House prepares to vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to comments Omar made about Israel.
USA Today:
Good for both of them.
Update I: To be more precise than my headline, Bernie said legitimate criticism of the Netanyahu government in Israel. “Israel” is shorthand for that in my headline. The main point is his defense of Omar.
Update II: Senator Kamala Harris released a statement defending Congresswoman Omar.
This is good. Unity in defending Congresswoman Omar. Hope more presidential candidates join in.
Update III: from doroma in the comments:
NY Times: Democrats Put Off Anti-Semitism Resolution After Fierce Backlash
It’s over!
Update IV: Another member of the squad (AOC, Tlaib, Omar, and Pressley) stepped up. From the NY Times link:
Earlier in the day, Democrats, including some prominent African-Americans, confronted Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a testy closed-door meeting, demanding to know why they were being pushed to pass the resolution when bigoted comments by Republicans have gone unchallenged.
Representative Ayanna Pressley, Democrat of Massachusetts, said she told leadership that there must be “equity in our outrage,” noting that Ms. Omar, a Minnesotan and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, was being attacked for her faith.
“Islamophobia needs to be included” in the anti-Semitism resolution, she told reporters on Wednesday. “We need to denounce all forms of hate. There is no hierarchy of hurt.”
Update V. From igualdad in the comments, Elizabeth Warren releases a statement defending Omar: