Pelosi slammed by 200 rabbis for failing to punish Ilhan Omar over anti-Israel comments – as Speaker rewards AOC
MORE than 200 rabbis slammed Nancy Pelosi for failing to punish congresswoman Ilhan Omar over her anti-Israeli remarks.
The criticism comes as the appeared to reward left-wing Democrat with a role on an economic committee in a bid to relax tensions with members of the so-called Squad.
The rabbis called on Pelosi to remove Omar from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In a letter obtained by, they said: "We reiterate that mob attacks on American Jews today are directly attributable to the rhetoric of Rep. Omar and those who stand with her within and beyond Congress.
"To protect Jewish Americans and moreover, safeguard the integrity of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, we thus insist upon the removal of Rep. Omar from her appointment."
The rabbis' added: “Rep. Omar’s unfounded assertion that Israel committeed ‘unthinkable atrocities’ by defending lives against an openly genocidal terror organization is not merely offensive, it is pernicious – for it is ground in the blood libel and the calumny that Jews poisoned wells during the Black Death.
"Without anything resembling a forceful response from the tolerance of anti-Jewish hated has proliferated."
The letter was signed by over 200 American rabbis and rabbis in Canada and .
They accused Rep. Omar of “playing identity politics” as they previously voiced concern about her appointment to the foreign affairs committee.
The backlash against Pelosi comes as the Speaker appointed fellow member of the "Squad" AOC to a committee responsible for investigating economic disparity in the US.
She joins seven other Democrats on the committee and they will look for ways on how to "deliver better wages for workers", reports.
after tried to censure three members of the Squad for their comments comparing Israel and the US to Hamas and the Taliban.
The resolution is led by GOP Reps. Michael Waltz, Jim Banks, and Claudia Tenney.
The lawmakers criticize Omar, AOC, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib for accusing Israel of "committing human rights abuses" and "egregious violations".
to Secretary of State Antony Blinken captioned: "We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban."
The tweet provoked accusations from Republicans that Omar's rhetoric has encouraged anti-Semitism.
Rep. Tenney said: “Sadly, this is not out of character for the ‘Squad’ who have made a bit of a habit of trafficking in anti-Semitic rhetoric."
Omar claimed her comments were "not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the US and Israel".
Last month, Omar slammed Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza strip as “terrorism."
She tweeted: “Israeli airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection.
"Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect civilians.
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“It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid.”
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In February 2019, the congresswoman : "It's all about the Benjamins baby" in a response to a post referencing House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy's pledge to take "action" amid her criticism of Israel.
She said: "Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes."