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Conservative Jewish Organization Condemns Omar’s Comments On Israel

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Mike Brest Reporter
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A conservative Jewish organization has admonished Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday night for saying that she chuckles when Israel is called a democracy.

In an interview with Yahoo! News’s Zainab Salbi on Wednesday, Omar said she “almost chuckle[s]” when Israel is labeled as “a democracy in the Middle East.” She went on to compare Israel to Iran in regards to Israel “not [recognizing] the other religions that are living in it.”

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks to media outside the US Capitol on January 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. Members of the Freshman Class held a press conference on the government shutdown. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

In response, Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks told The Daily Caller, “Well I know how I would like to see other Democratic members of Congress respond, which is that they should all strongly, strongly tell her that she’s absolutely wrong, that Israel is the only vibrant thriving democracy in the entire Middle East.” (RELATED: Democrats Won’t Challenge The Anti-Semitism In Their Party)

I think you’re either going to see silence on the part of most Democrats or, you know, I think they might say her views don’t align with theirs, but nobody is going to call her out or condemn the comments about being wrong and inflammatory,” he added, when asked about what he expected to come of her comments.

Omar has long been critical of Israel. Back in 2012, she accused Israel of “[hypnotizing] the world.” However, after facing accusations of anti-Semitism, she apologized, explaining that she was unaware of the connotations associated with what she said.

According to Adalah, it should also be noted that Israel does have 65 laws on the books that have been labeled as “discriminatory.”

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