Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has repeatedly defended her colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) against criticisms related to comments she made about the Holocaust on a podcast over the weekend.
“There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said on a Saturday episode of the podcast “Skullduggery.”
“And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews post the Holocaust, post the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time,” she continued.
Tlaib immediately faced backlash for the comments, and was accused of engaging in revisionist history.
“She ignored the fact that Palestinian leaders at the time allied themselves with Hitler and that total war is how the Arab world reacted to the declaration of Israeli independence,” CNN anchor John King said on his Monday show.
Writing for The New York Post, Lahav Harkov, contributing editor of The Jerusalem Post, described the phenomenon of Holocaust distortion.
“Everyone’s heard of Holocaust denial, but there’s a related phenomenon, Holocaust distortion, that involves taking undue credit for rescuing Jews, claims often made by nations that played a role in the genocide of the Jewish people. A version of Holocaust distortion has now arrived in Congress,” he wrote.
“Tlaib used the horrors of the Holocaust to delegitimize Israel. In fact, in the same podcast, Tlaib called for the dissolution of the Jewish state via a one-state solution,” he continued. “For starters, she casually peddled the commonplace lie that Israel was established only because of the Holocaust.”
Omar, however, defended Tlaib in the controversy and accused President Donald Trump of attempting “to sow division between minority communities” after he tweeted about the matter.
“You praised people at a neo-Nazi rally. We don’t have to imagine. This is another transparent attempt to sow division between minority communities and distract from your own criminal behavior by smearing a Muslim woman,” Omar wrote. “No one should fall for it this time.”
You praised people at a neo-Nazi rally. We don't have to imagine.
This is another transparent attempt to sow division b/t minority communities and distract from your own criminal behavior by smearing a Muslim woman.
No one should fall for it this time. https://t.co/y0ggJT83oF
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 13, 2019
“Those who seek hatred will never win,” she wrote in another tweet. “We stand together and will not be fazed by contrived attempts to sow division.”
Those who seek hatred will never win. We stand together and will not be fazed by contrived attempts to sow division. https://t.co/EmtbbgIqJf
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 13, 2019
Omar retweeted dozens of tweets in support of Tlaib, including one from liberal activist Shaun King, who described Tlaib as a “kind, courageous, generous soul.”
https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1128057726507147264
“Give it up, we all know you never met a Muslim you didn’t want to vilify,” Omar said in response to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY-At Large). “Your deep seated hate and Islamophobia might be a tool to rally your base, but won’t get rid [of] your colleagues. You just have to deal.”
Give it up, we all know you never met a Muslim you didn’t want to vilify!
Your deep seeded hate and Islamophobia might be a tool to rally your base, but won’t get rid your colleagues. You just have to deal 💁🏽♀️ https://t.co/hMvvxLnmp5
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 13, 2019
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
