The US House of Representatives has just passed a historic vote, the first to condemn anti-Muslim bigotry in American history. But in truth, the 407-23 resolution had almost nothing to do with Islamophobia in America. The issue was literally shoved into the resolution as an afterthought to get to the real topic: condemning anti-Semitism. The real issue was how to respond to freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar's recent comments suggesting House supporters of Israel have dual allegiances which had been roiling in the House for weeks. In recent days, Omar has been attacked as an anti-Semite by Republicans and top members of her own Democratic Party. It is no surprise that Omar is the target of such smears given that she was the first member of Congress to openly support BDS – the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for Palestinian rights. More recently, she exposed the long-held open secret about the massive influence of the Israel lobby group AIPAC on US lawmakers. AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee –exists specifically to defend Israel's interests. It is one of several well-funded organizations on Capitol Hill that exist explicitly to push Israel's political agenda by exerting pressure on lawmakers. Politicians and pundits have claimed that Omar's condemnation of the Israel lobby's financial influence on US politics amounted to bigotry against Jews. But it is the accusers, not Omar, who are falsely conflating Israel's organized lobby with the Jewish people. The pressure on US lawmakers from Israel lobby groups is precisely intended to silence critics, using the threat of being labeled with anti-Semitism as a hammer to break any defection from status quo positions on Israel. While Omar apologized under duress for stating the facts, she has exposed the double standards and hypocrisy of many US political leaders who fully back the longstanding, bipartisan support in Congress for the US-Israel relationship based on a bedrock of mutual strategic interests but overlook the racism and injustice that Israel imposes upon the Palestinians. It signals how far out of touch they are with voters and Americans in general, particularly progressives and young people, who are increasingly critical of Israel and supportive of Palestinians struggling for their freedom. Omar has her own story of fleeing civil war in her homeland of Somalia and living in a refugee camp. She knows how innocent civilians are forced to endure injustice from governments and other powerful actors, and is attempting to use her voice as a member of Congress to protect the most vulnerable. That includes the Palestinians. She can empathize with a people who have been refugees for 70 years. As such, she and other new members of Congress are creating the space for others to speak up on this issue without fear. In the run-up to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and after the war began, it was unacceptable in the US to not support the war. But the US and the rest of the world saw the horrendous result from that lack of discussion: No WMD – the raison d'etre for the war – was ever found while hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed and maimed. Thus, criticism of Israel in Congress is vital and appropriate and part of an important debate about US interests and priorities. Debates should be welcomed and there should be no desire to prevent anyone from criticizing Israel or the US-Israel relationship. Despite the huge smear campaign against her, no one should question Omar's loyalty, patriotism, and devotion to serving her country and constituents. In her recent statements that have drawn accusations of anti-Semitism, Omar was clear that her critique was focused on a lobbyist group, the actions of the Israeli military, and the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nations, armies and lobby groups are not and should not be beyond critique. Objecting to US policy on Israel is fair game.
