US House to vote on ‘hate’ measure in anti-Semitism row

March 8, 2019 3oliver

Ilhan Omar, one of the first female Muslim members of the US Congress, is at the center of an acrimonious debate about how to address criticism of Israel (AFP Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

Washington (AFP) – US lawmakers will vote Thursday on a measure that condemns anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, a Democratic leader said, amid a backlash over controversial comments by a Muslim congresswoman.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told fellow Democrats at a closed-door meeting that “a resolution opposing hate will be voted on today,” an aide said, adding that the text will be released shortly.

The decision follows acrimonious debate over how to reprimand Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar, who sparked a firestorm over repeated criticisms of Israel and a powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington that exerts influence in US politics.

Omar, a former Somali refugee, was assailed by Democrats and Republicans alike for suggesting Friday that supporters of Israel are urging lawmakers to have “allegiance to a foreign country.”

Several lawmakers expressed outrage, warning that Omar was peddling in age-old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews having dual allegiances.

The Democratic-led US House had been expected to vote on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism.

But on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting of Democrats, the debate expanded to address hateful rhetoric in general, with some lawmakers pushing to include resolution language that decries anti-Muslim bias.

Some Democrats also have expressed anger that Omar could be facing an implicit rebuke, while racist statements by Trump and other Republicans go largely unchallenged.

In the middle of the Democrats’ splintering talks about the path forward, President Donald Trump himself tweeted Wednesday that it was “shameful that House Democrats won’t take a stronger stand against Anti-Semitism in their conference.”