(Daily Caller News Foundation) — Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota defended one of her colleagues for calling Israel “racist” in a Tuesday tweet.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington apologized Sunday for calling the Jewish state racist after protesters showed up during a conference over the weekend, calling for Palestinians to be free from Israel. Omar, who has a history of making antisemitic comments, responded to Jayapal’s apology over Twitter, saying that people spend “too much time policing the language of Black and brown women.”
“We spend too much time policing the language of Black and brown women who speak out against oppression and not enough time ending the oppression of Black and brown people,” Omar wrote.
We spend too much time policing the language of Black and brown women who speak out against oppression and not enough time ending the oppression of Black and brown people. https://t.co/jnfqE25iLz
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2023
Omar continued, saying that she was “deeply concerned” about the shame that women of color are put through when they “speak out about human rights violations happening in Palestine and Israel,” according to her Twitter account. She then proceeded to argue that doing so is “morally wrong” and gives the “MAGA leadership of the Republican Party” the ability to criticize Democrats.
It is not only morally wrong, but routinely gives the current MAGA leadership of the Republican Party a cudgel to use against Democrats.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2023
The “Squad” member also called out her Democratic colleagues for not accepting Jayapal’s apology and said that she considered the Washington representative to be a “friend.”
“Rep. Jayapal apologized for her wording,” Omar said. “Dem leaders should accept that and move on, not join the GOP in continuing to shame her.”
The incident was not the first time that Jayapal had been called out by her Democratic and Republican counterparts. In 2021, after Israel and Hamas engaged in a multi-day bloody conflict, Jayapal appeared on CNN and blamed Israel for the violence, spurring the House to issue a resolution condemning her comments as antisemitic and “hateful misinformation.”
Omar and Jayapal did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
