Florida Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy criticized her party’s decision to pass an anti-hate resolution rather than a resolution that specifically condemns anti-Semitism in an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel Monday.
Murphy’s op-ed came in response to Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments on Israel and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Omar questioned if some members of Congress have a “dual loyalty” to the United States and Israel last week, just one of many instances that have led members of both parties to accuse the freshman congresswoman of being anti-Semitic. (RELATED: Omar Facing More Accusations Of Anti-Semitism)
“These are classic anti-Semitic tropes. They are rooted in false and ugly stereotypes about the Jewish people that have persisted throughout history, but that are rarely expressed — or, one hopes, believed — in modern America, except by those on the fringes,” Murphy’s piece reads. “To hear them from a U.S. representative — especially one who has endured discrimination herself — was stunning.”
Last week, we had an opportunity to condemn anti-Semitism in strong, specific terms. Instead, Congress made a point with a watered down resolution—but it missed *the* point. Read my take here in today’s @orlandosentinel: https://t.co/xhBRQeT0mw
— Rep. Stephanie Murphy (@RepStephMurphy) March 11, 2019
“Unfortunately, this well-intentioned process produced a watered-down resolution — one that denounces intolerance in such sweeping language that it feels hollow at its core,” Murphy wrote. “We could have observed that criticism of Israeli policies is legitimate, but disregarding Israel’s positive qualities and singling it out for constant criticism can cross the line from acceptable to unacceptable and, yes, even to anti-Semitic.”
The resolution, which passed 407–23, condemned of bigotry against “African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and others,” without specifically naming Omar.
Murphy voted in favor of the resolution despite her criticism of it.