Congresswoman Ilhan Omar turned and walked away from CNN’s Manu Raju as he asked her why she supported the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement Tuesday afternoon.
The movement calls for for companies and groups to protest and penalize the state of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinian people. The official BDS movement website describes the movement as one trying to uphold “the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.” (RELATED: Zeldin Addresses Feud With Omar Over Her Support For BDS Movement)
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“It is really important for us to get a different lens about what peace in that region could look like and the kind of difficult conversations we need to have about allies,” Omar said.
“Do you think that Israel is an ally or do you think its an adversary?” Raju questioned.
Omar answered, “Israel is an ally of the United States. And I think as much as you would look to your neighbor, to your friends, to live out the same values as you are, we want to make sure that our allies are living out the same values that we push for here.”
“Why do you support BDS? Why do you support BDS?” Raju asked as Omar turned her back to him and started walking away. (RELATED: Rep. Omar Defends Tweet Claiming ‘Israel Has Hypnotized The World,’ Says It’s Not About Religion)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN)speaks to media outside the US Captiol 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)
Omar and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib became the first members of Congress to officially endorse the movement.
Many Jewish organizations consider the movement to be anti-Semitic because it singles out and calls for a boycott of only one country and not all countries that violate people’s rights. The Anti-Defamation League says that the movement “rejects Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state” and “is the most prominent effort to undermine Israel’s existence.”