Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate and director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called out Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and The New York Times for promulgating the notion that Jesus was a Palestinian.

Omar re-tweeted an April 20 tweet from Omar Suleiman, an adjunct professor for Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University, who said a Palestinian relative told him regarding the “Christian right”:  “Don’t they know we’re Christian too? Do they even consider us human? Don’t they know Jesus was a Palestinian?”

Similarly, an April 19 New York Times piece focusing on various depictions of Jesus Christ’s skin color stated, “Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was most likely a Palestinian man with dark skin.”

Cooper told the Journal in a statement via email that it’s a “grotesque insult to Jesus born in the land of Israel and to Christianity” to say that Jesus was a Palestinian.

“Palestine was a name made up by Romans after they crucified thousands, destroyed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and exiled the People of Israel from their homeland,” Cooper said.

Others similarly tweeted:

Is it for real? Jesus was a Jew. What’s next? The Pope is also Palestinian? Stop lowering our IQ

— SSI Movement (@SSI_Movement) April 22, 2019

No, Jesus was Jewish, actually. I'm a bit surprised that a Congressperson would retweet false and inaccurate information.

— Fred Menachem (@FredMenachem) April 22, 2019

Yea no, honey. Jesus was not Palestinian @IlhanMN.

Jesus was Jewish. pic.twitter.com/rvIZaGfaVv

— (((Emily Schrader))) (@emilykschrader) April 22, 2019

https://twitter.com/ElliottRHams/status/1120405513651544066

Omar and The New York Times did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment.