Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stands during a meeting with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts A vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, initially scheduled for March 6, has been postponed.
Politico’s Jake Sherman said that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told him that “she isn’t sure a resolution will get a vote this week” and she doesn’t think that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) recent Israel remarks were “intentionally anti-Semitic”:
She said she isn’t sure a resolution will get a vote this week. She said foreign affairs committee is writing it.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 6, 2019
PELOSI just told us she did not think @IlhanMN’s comments were “intentionally anti Semitic”
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 6, 2019
According to U.S. News and World Report, the resolution is being written to address other forms of bigotry in addition to anti-Semitism, including Islamophobia.
The resolution is being drafted in light of Omar’s Feb 27 statement questioning Israel supporters’ “push for allegiance to a foreign country.” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted on March 6 that Omar “has repeatedly used age-old anti-Semitic tropes that have marginalized & persecuted Jews for centuries, before Israel even existed.”
A thread on the controversy around @IlhanMN’s comments: The problem isn’t that she criticized Israeli policies. The problem is that she has repeatedly used age-old anti-Semitic tropes that have marginalized & persecuted Jews for centuries, before Israel even existed. (1/4)
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 6, 2019
(2/4) Trying to make this situation about Israel is a tactic to deflect from the central issue of anti-Semitism. It is a move we have seen, for instance, repeatedly in Europe and other countries. It is wrong plain and simple.
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 6, 2019
(3/4) Islamophobia, anti-immigrant hate, racism & homophobia are scourges that plague our society. @ADL fiercely opposes such bigotry, including when recently directed @IlhanMN. We unequivocally oppose targeting her or anyone in the Muslim community on the basis of faith.
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 6, 2019
(4/4) But words matter. When prominent people use anti-Semitic rhetoric, it greenlights more of it. That's why we've called out elected officials in both parties when they spew hate. Congress must send a clear, unambiguous message: there is no place for anti-Semitism in the US.
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 6, 2019
Omar didn’t answer questions from reporters when asked about the resolution on March 5.
Video: Rep. Ilhan Omar declines to answer questions from reporters about the House resolution to condemn anti-Semitism pic.twitter.com/eCv1IgWFiR
— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) March 6, 2019
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.