https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/6/18251639/ilhan-omar-israel-anti-semitism-jews
It’s true that Omar’s comments on Israel keep falling
into well-worn anti-Semitic tropes — and her defenders often prove too
willing to paper this over and dismiss criticism from even progressive
Jews as “smears.”
It’s also the case that Republican officials frequently
call on anti-Semitic tropes and say worse about other minority groups
without nearly so much bipartisan condemnation. Pushing for a House vote
on anti-Semitism really did feel like unfairly singling out Omar — and
whitewashing the GOP’s record in the process. That’s why progressives
rallied to Omar’s defense, and why the Democratic leadership has been
forced to reconsider its initial resolution.
Omar deleted the original tweet and said she “unequivocally” apologized.
And for a few weeks, that seemed to settle the matter. But then, at the
panel with Tlaib last Wednesday, Omar tried to address her
anti-Semitism problem again. And that’s when things went south.
“At the event last week, Rep. Omar reiterated the remorse
she feels for her comments last month—and the pain she knows they
caused. As she said in her apology, we must distinguish between
criticism of a particular faith and fair critiques of lobbying groups,”
Slevin said. “She has consistently spoken out about the undue influence
of lobbying groups for foreign interests of all kinds and her comments
were about just that. To suggest otherwise is an inaccurate reading of
her remarks.”