[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1207 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1207
Censuring Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for her recent hateful
comments and history of antisemitism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 7, 2024
Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Van Orden,
and Ms. Tenney) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Ethics
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Censuring Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for her recent hateful
comments and history of antisemitism.
Whereas, on April 26, 2024, while visiting Columbia University amidst growing
encampments protesting Israel's actions in Gaza, Representative Ilhan
Omar referred to Jewish students as ``pro-genocide'';
Whereas Representative Omar has a long and demonstrated history of hateful
rhetoric that plays into the worst antisemitic tropes;
Whereas Representative Omar's slanderous comments against Jewish students could
inflame violence against the Jewish community;
Whereas the American Jewish Committee's 2023 State of Antisemitism in America
report found that 63 percent of American Jews feel the status of Jews is
less secure than 1 year ago, which is an increase of more than 20
percent in just 1 year;
Whereas that same report indicated that 78 percent of American Jews who heard
about the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel say the attacks made them
feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States;
Whereas the American Jewish Committee report also indicated that 85 percent of
American Jews and 84 percent of the general public believe the statement
``Israel has no right to exist'', the foundational core of anti-Zionism,
is antisemitic;
Whereas antisemitism has reached unprecedented levels in the United States,
demonstrated by the 2023 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Audit of
Antisemitic Incidents with a reported 8,873 antisemitic incidents across
the country, representing a 140-percent increase from the year before
and an average of 1 incident per hour;
Whereas this is the highest number of incidents on record since the Anti-
Defamation League began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979, and ADL
has tracked more incidents in 2023 than in the previous 3 years
combined;
Whereas Representative Omar has a history of further fueling the flames of
antisemitic hatred by her unrelenting attacks against the State of
Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East;
Whereas, in 2021, Representative Omar compared Israel and the United States not
only to Hamas, but also to the Taliban, when she tweeted ``we have seen
unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel,
Afghanistan, and the Taliban'';
Whereas the State of Israel is a key ally and a strategic partner of the United
States;
Whereas Hamas was designated by the Department of State as a foreign terrorist
organization on October 8, 1997;
Whereas Hamas is actively engaged in committing war crimes, including using
civilians as human shields, which is banned under customary
international humanitarian law;
Whereas Hamas and its Palestinian terrorist allies in Gaza are funded by Iran;
Whereas the cowardly terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, by Hamas on innocent
Israeli citizens, as well as citizens of the United States and other
countries, was the deadliest murder of the Jewish people since 1945;
Whereas Representative Omar has previously argued that Israel's military
response to Hamas strikes was ``an act of terrorism'' rather than an act
of self-defense;
Whereas Representative Omar accused the United States of backing crimes against
humanity;
Whereas, in 2012, Representative Omar tweeted, ``Israel has hypnotized the
world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of
Israel.'';
Whereas, in 2018, Representative Omar posted, ``Drawing attention to the
apartheid Israeli regime is far from hating Jews.'';
Whereas, in 2019, Representative Omar resorted to horrible stereotypes against
Jewish people when she previously suggested that the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Jewish people were trying to
buy political influence by saying ``It's all about the Benjamins,
baby.'';
Whereas Representative Omar stated during a town hall in 2019, ``I want to talk
about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to
push for the allegiance to a foreign country.'';
Whereas, in 2019, Congressional Democratic Leadership issued a joint statement
in response to Representative Omar, saying, ``Anti-Semitism must be
called out, confronted, and condemned whenever it is encountered,
without exception.'';
Whereas, on February 2, 2023, Representative Omar was removed from the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives for her numerous
antisemitic and other problematic statements regarding the United States
democratic ally Israel; and
Whereas Representative Omar has repeatedly and frequently referred to the United
States close partner Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, as
an ``apartheid'' State and accused it of committing ``genocide'': Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is censured
for her comments targeting Jewish students in the United States.
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