As was completely predicted, members of the Squad have given some of the worst responses we've seen after Hamas attacked Israel. This included Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), whose statement at one point claimed "[w]e need to call for deescalation and ceasefire." On Monday, after Israel responded with brutal force against Hamas, Omar had a lot more to say, as our friends at Twitchy covered.
"Reminder, Gaza doesn't have shelters or an iron dome and to [sic] please pray for them," her post lamented, also going on to add "Palestinians are human beings who have been in besieged and are deserving of protection from the international community."
Reminder, Gaza doesn’t have shelters or an iron dome and to please pray for them. May peace prevail in the region and move us towards a moral awakening to care about the human suffering we are seeing. Palestinians are human beings who have been in besieged and are deserving of… https://t.co/zHssSCqi1O
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 8, 2023
In addition to completely leaving out how Israelis--and others--have been completely brutalized by Hamas through capture, rape, torture, and execution, such a post from the congresswoman leaves out key details about Israel's need to defend itself. Further, Israel is actually looking to lessen the loss of human life, and so issues warnings to civilians in the area before the attacks begin. Hamas not only commits unspeakable atrocities against civilians, they also delight in having human shields to use.
Many chimed in to remind her of such details, to the tune of over 20,000 replies and nearly 2,000 quoted reposts.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) made a point about those warnings in a separate series of posts over the weekend.
This is Hamas fault and only Hamas.
— Jared Moskowitz 🟧 (@JaredEMoskowitz) October 7, 2023
Israel gives a warning to save lives. The women and children that were murdered in Israel got no warning https://t.co/rfLTMaSOXj
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Omar had one statement/post for Saturday in the immediate aftermath of the deadliest day in Israel's history, which saw the most Jews killed since the end of the Holocaust. In addition to reposting MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, as she did above, adding her own lamentations, Omar posted a thread on Monday that included nearly a dozen posts.
When the plight of Israel was mentioned, it was when Omar was equating the treatment of the Israelis and those in Gaza, as if there was a "both sides" to the crisis.
In fact, in one of her very first posts to the lengthy thread was to argue that "we must honor the humanity" of both Israelis and Palestinians, when it comes to the latter "who have been killed and whose lives are upended."
Further, the "innocent Israeli civilians" weren't merely killed, but had also been kidnapped and taken captive, tortured, raped, and killed. The bodies of naked young women were paraded in the street. Hamas did not discriminate based on age on those they went after. It wasn't just Israelis targeted, either.
As of late Monday night, the death toll was "at least 900," most of them civilians.
Just as we honor the humanity of the hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and 9 Americans who were killed this weekend, we must honor the humanity of the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been killed and whose lives are upended.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
After all that Israeli has experienced, Omar joined her fellow squad members in making Israel out to be the bad guy, even throwing in claims that Israel's policie "meet the definition of apartheid," while citing anti-Israel bodies.
According to Amnesty International, Human Rights watch, the UN, and Israeli human rights group B’Tselem these policies meet the definition of apartheid. We know occupation and systematic apartheid are a violation of international law and it must end.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
Omar also took the chance to call out the United States for daring to support Israel. "Efforts to seek justice in international courts are stonewalled by the Israeli government, with U.S. support," she claims.
There's another "also" in Omar's thread, as she claims that the world "must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestnians, including nearly two dozen children." Again, there's no word in this thread about the treatment Israeli babies and children actually endured.
As the world is condemning Hamas’s attacks, we must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including nearly two dozen children.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
What follows is Omar expressing considerable outrage at the lengths Israel must go to in order to wipe Hamas off of the earth to ensure such attacks do not happen again.
She again makes demands of the United States here, claiming "the U.S. should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order."
This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the U.S. should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
Several more posts in the thread also appear to express a misunderstanding of the brutality of Hamas and what Israel must do to defend itself.
For good measure, Omar's last post makes one last demand of the country where she serves in Congress. "Instead of continuing unconditional weapons sales and military aid to Israel, I urge the United States at long last to use its diplomatic might to push for peace."
And that targeting an entire civilian population will only sow more discord and perpetuate the cycle of violence.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
Instead of continuing unconditional weapons sales and military aid to Israel, I urge the United States at long last to use its diplomatic might to push for peace.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2023
Omar's posts were met with at least hundreds of, sometimes thousands of, replies calling her out for her view on the situation.
Although he did not directly respond to Omar's posts, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) around the same time on Monday made several of his own posts that rebut the congresswoman's framing.
"Omar" was trending over X on Monday night in response to her posts throughout the day.
Hamas exists for one reason alone, to wipe out the Jewish state of Israel.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 8, 2023
So Israel has only one option in response to yesterday’s barbaric attack, the permanent elimination of Hamas.
Anyone demanding Israel not “escalate” or calling for a “cease-fire” is either out of touch…
Israel has no choice but to seek the complete eradication of Hamas in Gaza. There simply is no diplomatic solution or “measured response” available
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 9, 2023
This tragically necessary effort will come at a horrifying price.
But the price of failing to permanently eliminate this group…
There can be no cease-fire, negotiated solution or peaceful coexistence with depraved barbarians who murder teen-aged girls,children & the elderly and then dump them in the streets of Gaza so bloodthirsty crowds can desecrate their bodies?
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 9, 2023
Hamas must be eradicated & Israel must…
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