A senior House Democratic aide told Fox News that staff for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps Steny Hoyer, Eliot Engel, Jerry Nadler, and Ted Deutch worked on a draft of the resolution over the weekend.
Omar has been the centre of controversy due to numerous remarks she’s made that have been labelled anti-Semitic, recently suggesting at a Washington bookstore forum that pro-Israel advocates are pushing “allegiance to a foreign country.”
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“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Omar said in reference to Israel. "I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or big pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying movement that is influencing policy."
Later Omar tried to push back, saying she has “not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end,” tweeting that she was willing to “open myself to attacks.”
I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone. I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) 3 марта 2019 г.
Engel, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday that it was “unacceptable and deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the US-Israel relationship.”
A senior Democratic aide told Fox News that the text of the resolution is not yet final, but lawmakers are still planning to present it on Wednesday. The aide added that the resolution was drafted before the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sent a letter to Pelosi requesting a resolution and that the ADL was aware of the resolution before they sent the letter.
The letter from ADL Chief Executive Jonathan Greenblatt suggested that Omar’s argument that Jews have a divided loyalty between the US and Israel is “a vile anti-Semitic slur that has been used to harass, marginalise and persecute the Jewish people for centuries.” He also condemned the attacks Omar has faced for her own Islamic faith, but that a congressional resolution would “send the unambiguous message that the United States Congress is no place for hate.”
