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Sanders, Harris and Warren defend Ilhan Omar amid controversy over Israel comments
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of CNN News
Posted: March 10th, 2019
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/06/politics/bernie-sanders-defen...
Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday defended Rep. Ilhan Omar against the backlash to her comments slamming pro-Israel groups and politicians, which have been called anti-Semitic. Sanders, who is Jewish, said criticism of Omar and efforts to get her taken off the House Foreign Affairs Committee ... are aimed at stopping a discussion about American's foreign policy toward Israel. [He] differentiated between promoting anti-Semitism and criticizing Israel as a state. Harris called out all instances of bigotry and expressed concern that the focus on Omar "may put her at risk." Warren [stated], "Branding criticism of Israel as automatically anti-Semitic has a chilling effect on our public discourse and makes it harder to achieve a peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians. Threats of violence -- like those made against Rep. Omar -- are never acceptable." Last month, Omar faced criticism for tweets insinuating that the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee was effectively buying off US politicians. The Minnesota Democrat subsequently apologized after demands from Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Omar [also] implied that pro-Israel lawmakers are under a "political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country." House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel said Tuesday that he does not want Omar removed from her seat on the committee because of her recent comments, despite previously calling for her to apologize in a fiery statement.
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