Without naming her specifically, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized comments Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar has made about members of Congress who support Israel, during his Monday speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.
“These age-old anti-Semitic tropes are false and we must renounce them. You can be a Jew and care about Israel and it does not make you any less American. You can be a Jew and lobby for Israel and it does not make you any less American,” he stated. “You can be, all at once, completely Jewish, completely pro-Israel, and completely American.”
.@SenSchumer: “These age-old anti-Semitic tropes are false and we must renounce them.
You can be a Jew and care about Israel and it does not make you any less American.
You can be a Jew and lobby for Israel and it does not make you any less American.” #AIPAC2019
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) March 25, 2019
In response to Schumer’s criticism, Omar tweeted, “This is selective hearing, informed by one’s biases and it totally explains why certain people might hear or read my words differently! If everyone was able to acknowledge their own implicit biases, the world would be full of loving and inclusive societies.”
Schumer’s comments were seemingly a response to Omar saying last month, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
Omar proceeded to double down on that claim later that week on social media.
AIPAC, who was on the receiving end of previous criticism from Omar, tweeted, “The charge of dual loyalty not only raises the ominous specter of classic anti-Semitism, but it is also deeply insulting to the millions upon millions of patriotic Americans, Jewish and non-Jewish, who stand by our democratic ally, Israel.”
This is selective hearing, informed by one’s biases and it totally explains why certain people might hear or read my words differently!
If everyone was able to acknowledge their own implicit biases, the world would be full of loving and inclusive societies. https://t.co/6OoPF6CrLL
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 26, 2019
The House passed a resolution earlier this month condemning hate and bigotry in response to Omar’s comments. It ended up condemning hate 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. (RELATED: Omar Facing More Accusations Of Anti-Semitism)
23 Republicans voted against the resolution because many felt like it no longer accomplished the goal it was supposed to achieve. Four Republicans went as far as to introduce their own resolution specifically naming Omar and remarks she made that they viewed as anti-Semitism.