Now that the anti-Semitism of Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Ilhan Omar, let us pause to consider what we have learned. Writing in the Jewish Press, David Israel assesses Omar’s “so-called apology:
She opened with, “Anti-Semitism is real, and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.”
Or, I’m just a poor girl from Somalia who doesn’t know much about the historic evil of Jew hatred. Thank you, enlightened liberal folks, especially the Jews among you, for showing me the light.
Seriously? A Muslim woman living in one of the top three most radical Islamic communities in the US does not know about Jew hatred? Please respect our intelligence, Congresswoman.
Omar persisted: “My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize.”
Then she used all of the faux integrity with which she hoped those two paragraphs endowed her to deliver the real punch: “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.”
In other words, AIPAC is the real problem…They did not say one blessed word about the fact that AIPAC is a legitimate part of American politics, like any other lobbying group, from the ACLU to #MeToo….
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