Fresh from row with Trump, Ilhan Omar pushes pro-BDS resolution in House
It is both alarming and surprising to see overt, open anti-Semitism on the American Stage today. While the anti-Semitism of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, should not surprise us, it is the mainstream media and the Democratic Party's open encouragement that is alarming.As this article notes, the Democratic-controlled House is set to introduce a nonbinding resolution condemning the BDS movement, but House Democrats are challenging the leadership of their party, cautioning them to not take a stand against BDS.Anti-Semitism is on the rise in both Europe and the United States. That fact that we have openly anti-Semitic lawmakers within the Democrat Party and the House of Representatives cannot take a stand condemning anti-Semitism is a grave cause for concern moving forward for American Jews.
US Representative Ilhan Omar introduced a resolution on Tuesday aimed at pushing back against laws seeking to clamp down on boycotts of Israel.The resolution, which does not explicitly mention Israel or the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, comes as Omar and several other progressive freshman Democrats have been thrown back into the spotlight, thanks to attacks on them by US President Donald Trump.The resolution affirms the right of Americans to participate in boycotts as an expression of free speech under the First Amendment, citing boycott movements against Nazi Germany, the USSR and apartheid South Africa.It is cosponsored by Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat whose family is Palestinian, and Georgia’s John Lewis, a civil rights pioneer.The resolution introduced Tuesday calls on the House to oppose “unconstitutional legislative efforts to limit the use of boycotts to further civil rights at home and abroad,” a reference to resolutions passed in several states that ban working with companies who back the BDS movement.Meanwhile, the Democratic leadership in the House is gearing up to introduce a non-binding resolution condemning BDS.However, some Democrats have cautioned House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer against introducing the measure next week, fearing it could open a new rift in the Democratic party.“I think the timing would not be very wise to take up additional measures around the Middle East,” Representative Mark Pocan told Politico this week. “Donald Trump just brought us all together, so let’s take advantage of that.”