WASHINGTON (Halbeeg News) – Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, posted a response to the ongoing Hamas assault on Israel on Saturday, as the number of dead and injured continue to mount.
Hamas launched the invasion and attacks on Israel on Saturday—in a move that appeared to take the Israeli military and security services by surprise. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared “we are at war,” while Hamas touted its success at abducting and killing Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Omar has been one of Israel’s strongest critics in the U.S. government, regularly condemning what she and others describe as human rights abuses against Palestinians. The Democratic lawmaker’s critics regularly condemn her comments and opposition to Israel as antisemitic. Meanwhile, her defenders have pushed back against that assessment, pointing out that she regularly calls out alleged human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia and other nations as well.
In response to the violence in Israel, Omar posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday afternoon—condemning the actions of Hamas.
“I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas. Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen, which we cannot allow to continue. We need to call for deescalation and ceasefire,” Omar wrote. “I will keep advocating for peace and justice throughout the Middle East.”
Newsweek reached out to Omar’s office for further comment.
Omar made history as one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018, along with Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Both of the progressive lawmakers have regularly condemned Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, and have received substantial criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Newsweek also reached out to Tlaib, who is Palestinian-American, for comment on the situation in Israel. As of the time of writing, the Michigan representative had not made a public comment on the conflict.
Some groups critical of the Israeli government also responded to the unfolding events. IfNotNow, a progressive Jewish organization in the U.S., condemned the killing of civilians, but pointed to the Israeli government’s actions—suggesting that they had provoked the violent response from Hamas.
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