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Representative Ilhan Omar, a first-year Democrat from Minnesota, was again monitored this week for her comments on Israel.
The remarks in question were made Wednesday during a discussion in a Washington bookstore about how critics have repeatedly said that Omar's criticism of Osrael was anti-Semitic. She claimed that the label was used in bad faith to put an end to the debate.
The sentence that caught the most attention was: "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it's OK for people to lobby for allegiance to a foreign country" .
[[[[See a full video of the event here.]
Ms. Omar asked why it was acceptable for her to speak critically about the political influence of the National Rifle Association, the fossil fuel industries and the "big pharma", but not the Israeli Public Affairs Commission. . (After being widely criticized for posting a tweet about Aipac last month, she deleted it and apologized.)
He added that she "invoked the scathing myth of dual loyalty, in which America of the Jews is inherently suspect".
Some conservative media have also published articles criticizing comments. And Marshall Wittmann, a spokesman for Aipac, said in a statement that the charge of "double loyalty" was alarming.
"The dual loyalty charge not only raises the alarming specter of classic anti-Semitism, but is also deeply insulting to millions and millions of patriotic, Jewish, and non-Jewish Americans who support our democratic ally, Israel. Wittmann said.
Jeremy Slevin, spokeswoman for Ms Omar, said in a statement that at Wednesday's event she had "reiterated the remorse she feels for her comments last month – and the pain that's going on." She provoked, "she said.
"As she has said in her apology, we must distinguish between criticism of a particular faith and honest criticism from lobbying groups," Slevin said. "She has always denounced the undue influence of lobbies on foreign interests of all kinds, and her comments were just about that. To suggest otherwise is an inaccurate reading of his words. "
The event, billed as a "public meeting on progressive issues", took place in front of a busboys and poets and was moderated by its owner, Andy Shallal. Ms. Omar spoke alongside three Democratic congressional colleagues: Rashida Tlaib from Michigan, Pramila Jayapal from Washington and Mark Pocan from Wisconsin.
Ms. Omar and Ms. Tlaib have become the first Muslim women elected to Congress in November. The group spoke to the friendly audience about a wide variety of topics, including immigration and crises in Venezuela and Yemen.
At one point, Shallal questioned anti-Semitism, saying it was "a question that tends to be repeated over and over again".
"I know it's a very sensitive topic and I know it's a problem that exists and that it's often used to calm people, belittle them, isolate them," he said. -he declares.
He asked Ms. Omar and Ms. Tlaib to discuss how the issue was evolving in the political sphere and how progressives could support them so that their critics of Israeli politics would not be considered anti-Semitic.
"Because you do not criticize religion. You do not criticize the Jewish people. You criticize government policies, "he added," just as we criticize government policies here in the United States. "
Ms. Tlaib, an American woman of Palestinian descent, then spoke of her love for her grandmother, who lives in the West Bank, and her desire to humanize the discussion around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"This conversation and debate about human rights for all, this conversation about what it looks like is not centered on hate, but on love," she said.
Ms. Omar issued a similar note, stating that the country had not "elevated" the history of the Palestinians. But she added that she had heard Jewish voters, colleagues and friends say that some Palestinians do not want or deserve security.
She said she did not go "in the dark" assuming that these people were Islamophobic. But she said she feared that people would call her anti-Semitic, as well as Ms. Tlaib, because of their Muslim religion.
Ms. Omar said that she felt sorry for having been linked to intolerance. But she argued that the persistent focus on these accusations was undermining the basic discourse on US foreign policy.
"We end up defending that, and no one can have a broader debate about what is happening in Palestine," she said with acclaim.
The critics of the two women also spread to their facial expressions. Mr. Chait related to an article on Jewish Insider, according to which Mrs. Omar and Ms. Tlaib had "stealthily smiled" after someone in the crowd shouted, "It's about the Benjamins", echoing the deleted tweet that had been condemned by the Republicans and Democrats include: President Nancy Pelosi.
The scream occurs around the mark of 59 minutes in the video. After Ms. Omar's office described the description of the Jewish Insider as "unclear and frankly dangerous," the site confirmed it in a note from the editor.
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