Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has been unsurprisingly vocal on the violence that has broken out in recent days between the Israeli military and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, Omar tweeted, “Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.”
“Palestinians deserve protection,” she continued. “Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid.”
Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism.
Palestinians deserve protection.
Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians.
It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid. https://t.co/vWWQfMqBkT
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 10, 2021
Later that day, Omar continued.
“Many will tell you Israel has a right to defend itself, to safety and security, but are silent on whether Palestinians have those rights too,” Omar tweeted. “Until we can defend the rights of Palestinians just as we do Israelis, we have no leg to stand on when it comes to justice or peace.”
Many will tell you Israel has a right to defend itself, to safety and security, but are silent on whether Palestinians have those rights too.
Until we can defend the rights of Palestinians just as we do Israelis, we have no leg to stand on when it comes to justice or peace.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 10, 2021
On Tuesday, Omar said, “Palestinian children deserve advocates for their humanity, safety and security. No exceptions.”
Palestinian children deserve advocates for their humanity, safety and security. No exceptions.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 11, 2021
Omar then claimed that accusations of Hamas’ use of “human shields” was a “myth.”
These tweets summarize Ilhan Omar’s character, both intellectually and morally. For the Minnesota Congresswoman, the violence — which was sparked by rioting Palestinians and Hamas’ rocket fire targeting Jewish civilians — is not the issue. The issue for Omar is the defensive response to this violence.
We must now ask about the targets of such responses. Hamas — the terrorist organization which effectively runs the Gaza Strip — fired rockets deliberately at Jewish civilians. The Israeli military response targeted Hamas launch sites, figures, and military facilities. These two strategies lie on opposite ends of the spectrum of acceptable military action, and the fact that Omar pretends that the two are equivalent forms of “attack,” and that chronology has no relevant impact, is simply appalling.
It’s then important to understand why there is often civilian harm caused when the Israeli military responds to Hamas rocket strikes. The reason is that, despite Omar’s claims, Hamas intentionally use their own people as human shields.
In 2014, The Atlantic published a piece titled, “Hamas Quietly Admits It Fired Rockets from Civilian Areas.” The Daily Mail reported on the same story. In 2015, the New York Post reported, “Hamas stored mortars and other weapons in at least three UN schools during last summer’s war and fired rockets at Israel from two of them.” And in 2014, a Hamas spokesperson applauded the use of civilians as shields, saying, “This attests to the character of our noble, jihad-loving people — who defend their rights and their homes with their bare chests and their blood.”
Among her deceit, Ilhan Omar, in one way, is right: “Palestinian children deserve advocates for their humanity, safety and security. No exceptions.”
Palestinian children do deserve advocates for their humanity, safety, and security. But if Omar believed that for one second, perhaps she would ask why Hamas routinely use hospitals to store weapons, and fire rockets at Jewish children from the rooftops of Palestinian schools.
For Omar, it’s easier to ignore the radical Islamic terrorists placing these children in harms way, and instead blame the Jews who dare to defend themselves from constant rocket fire.
“No exceptions,” indeed.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.