In an interview with The Sunday Times, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — known for her long history of anti-Israel statements...
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks at a press conference. Photo: Reuters / Erin Scott.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — known for her long history of anti-Israel statements — appeared to draw a moral equivalence between the Jewish state and Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the Trump administration’s warm relations with both countries, Omar said, “We know the amount of money and influence and connection that the Saudis have with the administration is really the reason that everything destructive they do is nullified. And that really is no different to what’s happening with Israel.”
“There’s an alarming connection to the really destructive policies Israel is proposing and how much of it is being rubber stamped by this administration,” she added. “And how much of it is being urged by Americans who have connection and influence with this administration.”
Omar also noted she had “moved past” the controversy that erupted last year over comments she made about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that were widely condemned as antisemitic.
“My expression of those things was hurtful to people, that has really broken my heart,” she stated. “I talk about Saudi blood money and them being bloodsuckers and no one says ‘This is Islamophobic,’ but I know if I use those terms for another country, that could be [a problem]. And so you learn what history is tied to words. As someone who didn’t have an understanding, I now do.”
