Democratic leaders are warring with some on far-left members who back OmarSenior Democratic leaders issued a unified statement Thursday, denouncing comments made by Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar when she compared U.S. and Israeli “war crimes” to actions by the Taliban and Hamas.
The statement was part of an internecine war of words within the Democratic Party, with some leftist members of the caucus supporting Omar against attacks by the leadership.
Omar issued a statement Thursday clarifying her comments after she was met with a flood of criticism from not only Republicans on the Hill, but from members of her own party.”To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC (International Criminal Court) cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel,” Omar said Thursday.
“I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,” she added.
In a statement led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and joined by five other elected House Democratic leaders, the top officials thanked Omar for her clarification but warned against making drastic comparisons.
“Drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all,” the group wrote.
