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Everyone was just waiting for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to have more than 280 characters to explain her foreign policy philosophy, right? Well, the Washington Post finally gave the freshman representative a platform for her platitudes.
Omar starts her op-ed with a description of her background as a Somali refugee, and then starts in with the most bland collection of catchphrases strung together in an attempt to make herself sound reasonable. She’s just trying to be FAIR, don’t you know?
I believe in an inclusive foreign policy — one that centers on human rights, justice and peace as the pillars of America’s engagement in the world, one that brings our troops home and truly makes military action a last resort. This is a vision that centers on the experiences of the people directly affected by conflict, that takes into account the long-term effects of U.S. engagement in war and that is sincere about our values regardless of short-term political convenience.”
This means reorienting our foreign affairs to focus on diplomacy and economic and cultural engagement. At a time when we spend more on our military than the next seven countries combined, our global armed presence is often the most immediate contact people in the developing world have with the United States. National security experts across the political spectrum agree that we don’t need nearly 800 military bases outside the United States to keep our country safe.”
Valuing human rights also means applying the same standards to our friends and our enemies. We do not have the credibility to support those fighting for human rights in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua if we do not also support those fighting for human rights in Honduras, Guatemala and Brazil. Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards.”
Now, this has not been Ilhan Omar’s position when it comes to Venezuela. Remember, this is the same woman who deliberately tried to bait Elliott Abrams during a hearing on Venezuela, and who has supported Nicolas Maduro and his socialist policies.
So, is this an about-face for Congresswoman Omar, or is this just spin?
But wait, she needs to weigh in on Israel and Palestine.
This vision also applies to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. support for Israel has a long history. The founding of Israel 70 years ago was built on the Jewish people’s connection to their historical homeland, as well as the urgency of establishing a nation in the wake of the horror of the Holocaust and the centuries of anti-Semitic oppression leading up to it. Many of the founders of Israel were themselves refugees who survived indescribable horrors.”
We must acknowledge that this is also the historical homeland of Palestinians. And without a state, the Palestinian people live in a state of permanent refugeehood and displacement. This, too, is a refugee crisis, and they, too, deserve freedom and dignity.”
A balanced, inclusive approach to the conflict recognizes the shared desire for security and freedom of both peoples. I support a two-state solution, with internationally recognized borders, which allows for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own sanctuaries and self-determination. This has been official bipartisan U.S. policy across two decades and has been supported by each of the most recent Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the consensus of the Israeli security establishment. As Jim Mattis, who later was President Trump’s defense secretary, said in 2011 , “The current situation between those two peoples is unsustainable.”
Working toward peace in the region also means holding everyone involved accountable for actions that undermine the path to peace — because without justice, there can never be a lasting peace. When I criticize certain Israeli government actions in Gaza or settlements in the West Bank, it is because I believe these actions not only threaten the possibility of peace in the region — they also threaten the United States’ own national security interests.”
Hmmm. Leaving aside the congresswoman’s well-known record of anti-Semitism, right now the Hamas government of Gaza is imprisoning journalists trying to cover the protests of Palestinians against Hamas, shooting their own people, and firing off rockets into Israel. In the West Bank yesterday, an Israeli was killed by a Palestinian who first stabbed an IDF soldier, stole his weapon, and began firing randomly at passing cars. This attack was praised by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
An Israeli was murdered this morning. People are literally handing out sweets in the streets to celebrate. If you’re wondering why there is no peace today, this is why. There can’t be peace when death is such a joyous occasion. https://t.co/xOY6GxgkBV
— Melissa Weiss (@melissaeweiss) March 17, 2019
And yet Ilhan Omar has nothing to say about this. Not even about Hamas shooting their own.
There was a terrorist attack in Israel today that killed a 19 year old. Another father of 12 is currently fighting for his life in the hospital.
While the PA prepared to reward the terrorist financially, guess what @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib have said about it? Nothing.
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) March 18, 2019
You’ll forgive me for dismissing this entire op-ed if the congresswoman can’t even be bothered to point out that only one side is currently repressing and shooting at their own citizens, and it isn’t Israel. That wouldn’t fit her narrative.
And honestly, given Ilhan Omar’s recent past, I don’t actually believe that she wrote this op-ed at all.
When I was throwing out those anti-Semitic bombs, all I really wanted was a more “inclusive foreign policy.” This reads like an oped written by a crisis communications firm for one of their so misunderstood clients. https://t.co/vWuOUYoPQ6
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) March 18, 2019
More than one person smells something off. No, I don’t believe that every op-ed that goes out with a politician’s name on it was actually written by that politician. But this bland “peace, love, and justice” cotton candy spin simply isn’t realistic considering what Ilhan Omar has said for years. This might be what the Democrats want her to be, and have created this op-ed under her name to try to soften up the ugliness of the last few weeks. But there is no way that this is what Ilhan Omar actually believes. If it was, we would have seen proof of it long ago. Instead, we see excuses for her behavior. So, no – I’m not buying this op-ed as the real Ilhan Omar. I think we’ve already seen that.
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Charles N. Steele says: Written by her handlers in Justice Democrats & Brand New Congress. They are trying to get her back on the reservation. Her rabid anti-semitism is starting to provoke progressive Jews and other Democrats, threatening their takeover project.
lewy14 says: Actually, what this shows is that there is still some party discipline in the Democratic caucus generally.
Somebody obviously wrote that for her, and she was made to sign it.
The humiliation of how obvious the ghost writing is is, in fact, part of the punishment.
Now: goad her for the capitulation. Shouldn’t be difficult, really.
CaptDMO says: That^^^^^
No “Like”, or “upvote” button.
Kathy says: I also don’t believe that she wrote that op-ed. It’s not even her writing style, much less her words.
Dan M says: I’m not terrorized by her comments, I’m terrorized at how the heck did she ever get elected. I’m appalled that the congressmen sit there silent and allow her anti-American hatred.
I saw 9/11. There are WTC memorials all over NJ and the metro area. My town has one made out of twisted steel from the Twin Towers. It says in part, NEVER FORGET.
How long before she demands our memorials to 9/11 be removed?
MAGA
Helene Rosenberg says: Somalis (and Jewish voters) in her district need to stand up to her hatred and anti-Semitism. Omar gives Somali US citizens in her district a reason to stand up and be counted as Americans who reject hateful anti-Semitism. Omar fosters hatred and venom against not just Israel, our only real ally in the Middle East, but against The American Jewish community who have welcomed and supported Somali immigrants in her district. Her campaign rhetoric of not backing BDS has now been supplanted by her outright devotion to the BDS movement and virulent anti-Semitism against Jewish voters in America. Her lies and deceit know no bounds. Talk about biting the hand that feeds her. May her handlers and backers be exposed soon. The Somali community in America and in her district must stand up to her hatred or be labeled quite rightly as anti-Semitic.
SDN says: Now think about the level of classified intel that committee has access to. And that any attempt to lower that access will be leaked by #Resistance members of the IC and spun as an attempt to avoid Congressional oversight.
Be afraid.
Fredrick says: I can agree with Rep Omar that criticism of Israel or Israeli policy shouldn’t be out of limits, but that’s not what her controversial comments were about. The comments that caused the uproar were about Jewish Americans who supported Israel – insinuating that they had split loyalty or were only motivated by money provided by AIPAC. She’s misdirecting – she has a valid argument , but it doesn’t address the anti- Semitic she did make.
Skillyboo says: Only Christians, and now anyone married to a Jew (Chelsea Clinton) have to show guilt, remorse and beg their forgiveness when someone White speaks out, hurts or kills Muslims. And We allow ourselves to be intimidated by them, just to show how tolerant we are. What fools we have turned into giving them a pass instead of standing up to their perversion. We’re building our own funeral pyre and one day another match will be thrown, like 9/11, and we’ll be helpless to seek revenge.
GWB says: this is also the historical homeland of Palestinians
If you want to play a “who was first” game, then the Palestinians possibly win – if you assume they are the same as the Philistines. Not sure I’d want to claim that connection if I were them (though most of our modern world wouldn’t even understand, as they’ve neglected Biblical history). If you instead assume they are those in the land after Israel was torn apart by the Roman Empire (circa 70 AD/CE), then the Jews have first rights.
Either way, it was only after WW1, when the Mandate came to be, with the intent was to re-create a Jewish homeland carved out of the Ottoman Empire, that the “Palestinians” came to exist as a distinct group out of the vast empire. Until then, they were Arabs.
the Palestinian people live in a state of permanent refugeehood and displacement
Well, you know, you should talk to … the REST of the Ottoman Empire about that, since they agreed to take them all in, but most have refused to actually make them their own. They’ve instead been used to keep tensions high with Israel, in the hopes that some day the Arabs will prevail and recover their lost lands (in their eyes).
Working toward peace in the region also means holding everyone involved accountable for actions that undermine the path to peace
Great. Then please hold accountable the groups like Hamas who regularly terrorize Israelis and maintain a constant state of war in the region. Until you do that, you’re just doing the same old crap of trying to destroy Israel that certain Democrats have been working on for … those two decades you mention.
I believe these actions not only threaten the possibility of peace in the region
Oh, bullsh*t. The Palestinians (some of them) have been waging war on Israel for a lot longer than those particular settlements have existed. As a matter of fact, they exist precisely because Israel got sick and tired of the blather about peace when the Palestinian leadership regularly demonstrated they didn’t want peace, and said “To sheol with it, we’ll just do what we want, since they’re going to hate on us anyway.”
I don’t actually believe that she wrote this op-ed at all
No, neither do I.
MVN says: Sorry. The Romans named the region “Palestine” simply because they could not pronounce “Philistines”. The mandate named it the Territory of Palestine. Anyone living there was a Palestinian, including Jews and Gentiles. Arafat made a critical decision to name the Arabs ass Palestinians. Learn your history, Biblical or secular.
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