Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) appeared to place the U.S. and Israel in the same category with Taliban and Hamas, claiming they all have committed “unthinkable atrocities.”
What she said: Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad,” argued in a recent tweet that the U.S. needs to “have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.”
She said that America and Israel have been behind “unthinkable atrocities” like those committed by Hamas, which is a designated terrorist organization, and the Taliban, a known extremist organization.
“We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” Omar wrote.
Questioning Blinken: The Minnesota congresswoman made the comments in a post that features a video of her questioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken during Monday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee’s hearing on the State Department’s budget request and foreign policy strategy.
Omar said in her tweet that she “asked [Secretary of State Antony Blinken] where people are supposed to go for justice.”
We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.
We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice. pic.twitter.com/tUtxW5cIow
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 7, 2021
Omar did not lump the U.S. together with the terrorist organizations during her questioning in the video, unlike in the tweet. The congresswoman indicated at the hearing that Israel, Hamas, the Taliban, and Afghanistan, have committed war crimes.
“I know you oppose the court’s investigation in both Palestine and in Afghanistan. I haven’t seen any evidence in either cases that domestic courts can, both can and will prosecute alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. And I would emphasize that in Israel and Palestine, this includes crimes committed by both Israeli security forces, and Hamas. In Afghanistan, it includes crimes committed by the Afghan national government and the Taliban. So in both of these cases, if domestic courts can’t or won’t pursue justice, and we oppose the ICC, where do we think the victims of the supposed that crimes can go for justice?” Omar asked Blinken.
“I believe that we have, whether it’s the United States or Israel, we both have the mechanisms to make sure that there’s accountability in any situations where there are concerns about the use of force and human rights, etc. I believe that both of our democracies have that capacity, and we’ve demonstrated it, and we’ll need to continue to demonstrate it going forward,” Blinken said.
