Everyone was just waiting for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to have more than 280 characters to explain her foreign policy philosophy, right? Well, the Washington Postfinally gave the freshman representative a platform for her platitudes.
Omar starts her op-ed with a description of her background as a Somali refugee, and then starts in with the most bland collection of catchphrases strung together in an attempt to make herself sound reasonable. She’s just trying to be FAIR, don’t you know?
Omar starts her op-ed with a description of her background as a Somali refugee, and then starts in with the most bland collection of catchphrases strung together in an attempt to make herself sound reasonable. She’s just trying to be FAIR, don’t you know?
I believe in an inclusive foreign policy — one that centers on human rights, justice and peace as the pillars of America’s engagement in the world, one that brings our troops home and truly makes military action a last resort. This is a vision that centers on the experiences of the people directly affected by conflict, that takes into account the long-term effects of U.S. engagement in war and that is sincere about our values regardless of short-term political convenience.”This means reorienting our foreign affairs to focus on diplomacy and economic and cultural engagement. At a time when we spend more on our military than the next seven countries combined, our global armed presence is often the most immediate contact people in the developing world have with the United States. National security experts across the political spectrum agree that we don’t need nearly 800 military bases outside the United States to keep our country safe.”Valuing human rights also means applying the same standards to our friends and our enemies. We do not have the credibility to support those fighting for human rights in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua if we do not also support those fighting for human rights in Honduras, Guatemala and Brazil. Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards.”
Now, this has not been Ilhan Omar’s position when it comes to Venezuela. Remember, this is the same woman who deliberately tried to bait Elliott Abrams during a hearing on Venezuela, and who has supported Nicolas Maduro and his socialist policies.
So, is this an about-face for Congresswoman Omar, or is this just spin?
But wait, she needs to weigh in on Israel and Palestine.
This vision also applies to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. support for Israel has a long history. The founding of Israel 70 years ago was built on the Jewish people’s connection to their historical homeland, as well as the urgency of establishing a nation in the wake of the horror of the Holocaust and the centuries of anti-Semitic oppression leading up to it. Many of the founders of Israel were themselves refugees who survived indescribable horrors.”We must acknowledge that this is also the historical homeland of Palestinians. And without a state, the Palestinian people live in a state of permanent refugeehood and displacement. This, too, is a refugee crisis, and they, too, deserve freedom and dignity.”A balanced, inclusive approach to the conflict recognizes the shared desire for security and freedom of both peoples. I support a two-state solution, with internationally recognized borders, which allows for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own sanctuaries and self-determination. This has been official bipartisan U.S. policy across two decades and has been supported by each of the most recent Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the consensus of the Israeli security establishment. As Jim Mattis, who later was President Trump’s defense secretary, said in 2011 , “The current situation between those two peoples is unsustainable.”Working toward peace in the region also means holding everyone involved accountable for actions that undermine the path to peace — because without justice, there can never be a lasting peace. When I criticize certain Israeli government actions in Gaza or settlements in the West Bank, it is because I believe these actions not only threaten the possibility of peace in the region — they also threaten the United States’ own national security interests.”
Hmmm. Leaving aside the congresswoman’s well-known record of anti-Semitism, right now the Hamas government of Gaza is imprisoning journalists trying to cover the protests of Palestinians against Hamas, shooting their own people, and firing off rockets into Israel. In the West Bank yesterday, an Israeli was killed by a Palestinianwho first stabbed an IDF soldier, stole his weapon, and began firing randomly at passing cars. This attack was praised by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
An Israeli was murdered this morning. People are literally handing out sweets in the streets to celebrate. If you’re wondering why there is no peace today, this is why. There can’t be peace when death is such a joyous occasion.
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And yet Ilhan Omar has nothing to say about this. Not even about Hamas shooting their own.
Hamas has been shooting Palestinian protestors in the street for 4 days straight and is beating up journalists reporting on it.
Guess how many times @IlhanMN or @RashidaTlaib have commented on it? 0
There was a terrorist attack in Israel today that killed a 19 year old. Another father of 12 is currently fighting for his life in the hospital.
While the PA prepared to reward the terrorist financially, guess what @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib have said about it? Nothing.
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You’ll forgive me for dismissing this entire op-ed if the congresswoman can’t even be bothered to point out that only one side is currently repressing and shooting at their own citizens, and it isn’t Israel. That wouldn’t fit her narrative.
And honestly, given Ilhan Omar’s recent past, I don’t actually believe that she wrote this op-ed at all.
When I was throwing out those anti-Semitic bombs, all I really wanted was a more “inclusive foreign policy.” This reads like an oped written by a crisis communications firm for one of their so misunderstood clients.
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More than one person smells something off. No, I don’t believe that every op-ed that goes out with a politician’s name on it was actually written by that politician. But this bland “peace, love, and justice” cotton candy spin simply isn’t realistic considering what Ilhan Omar has said for years. This might be what the Democrats want her to be, and have created this op-ed under her name to try to soften up the ugliness of the last few weeks. But there is no way that this is what Ilhan Omar actually believes. If it was, we would have seen proof of it long ago. Instead, we see excuses for her behavior. So, no – I’m not buying this op-ed as the real Ilhan Omar. I think we’ve already seen that.
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