Several Democratic lawmakers made comments praising Hamas and condemning Israel following multiple acts of violence by Palestinian terrorists against Israeli citizens.
Terrorists from Hamas invaded Israel over the weekend, killing innocent civilians and inducing concerns that larger world powers could insert themselves into the conflict. Multiple far-left members of Congress, informally called the Squad, came under fire for posting comments construed as blaming Israel for the violence and supporting the Palestinian terrorists.
Representative Jamal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, called for “an end to the Gaza blockade” and appeared to equivocate the violence perpetrated by Hamas with the actions taken by the Israelis. "We need a way to end this deadly violence that is killing and traumatizing generations of Israelis and Palestinians alike, including the blockade of Gaza,” he wrote. “I have been to the Gaza border and know that Israelis and Palestinians are constantly living in fear.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, released a statement claiming the Israeli government is an “apartheid government.”
"I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day," Tlaib said. "As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”
Representative Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, also referred to the Israeli government as an apartheid government and called for an end to American support for “Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”
Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota who has been criticized multiple times for apparent antisemitic statements, tried to shift focus from the innocent Israelis killed by terrorists toward Palestinians killed during operations by the by Israeli Defense Forces. “We know occupation and systematic apartheid are a violation of international law and it must end,” she wrote in a series of posts on social media. “As the world is condemning Hamas’s attacks, we must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including nearly two dozen children.”
The comments from the Squad drew fire from both Republicans and the Biden administration. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced the statements during a press conference. “I've seen some of those statements this weekend, and we're going to continue to be very clear,” she remarked. “We believe they're wrong, we believe they're repugnant, and we believe they're disgraceful.”
