'She's out of her mind': Sen. Marco Rubio slams Ilhan Omar for calling Israeli strikes an 'act of terrorism' as AOC links conflict to the southern border crisis
'Squad' members are taking criticism in Congress for their comments questioning Israel amid violent clashes between Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza.
As the conflict unfolded this week, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called Israel's airstrikes on Gaza targets in response to a barrage of missile attacks on its homeland an 'act of terrorism.'
'Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid,' she said in reference to the Muslim holiday.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called Israel's airstrikes on Gaza targets in response to a barrage of missile attacks on its homeland an 'act of terrorism'
'She's out of her mind when she put that there,' said Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in an interview on Fox News.
'The Iron Dome wouldn't need to exist if it wasn't for Hamas and Hezbollah,' he said, in reference to Israel's missile defense system. The U.S. government classified Hamas as a terrorist group.
Israel launched a series of airstrikes and artillery fire at targets in Gaza after Hamas fired a barrage of missiles into its territory.
President Joe Biden asserted this week that Israel has a 'right to defend itself,' going further Thursday when he said there had not been a 'significant overreaction' by Israel.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compared the situation of the Palestinians to immigrants detained at the U.S.-Mexico border
Palestinian demonstrators hurl rocks toward Israeli forces during clashes near the Jewish settlement of Beit El near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 14, 2021
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Omar was 'out of her mind' when she made her comment
Following his initial comment, Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted: 'Blanket statements like these w/ little context or acknowledgement of what precipitated this cycle of violence - namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al Aqsa - dehumanize Palestinians & imply the US will look the other way at human rights violations. It’s wrong.'
Fellow Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch, a strong supporter of Israel, this week blasted anyone who would defend Hamas, which is believed to have launched more than 1,000 rockets toward Israel.
'Hamas terrorists have launched >500 rockets at Israel hoping to kill civilians,' he tweeted. 'The international community has condemned Hamas for using human shields & launching rockets from in or near schools and hospitals in violation of international law. No one should defend Hamas. Ever.'
In comments on the House floor Thursday night, Ocasio-Cortez linked suffering of the Palestinians to the crisis at the border. She said Americans 'are scared to stand up to the incarceration of children in Palestine because maybe it'll force us to confront the incarceration of children here on our border,' she said, in reference to unaccompanied children who are detained at the border.
'The president and many other figures this week stated that Israel has a right to self-defense,' she said. 'This is a sentiment that is echoed across this body. But do Palestinians have a right to survive? Do we believe that? And if so, we have a responsibility to that as well.'
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) made her own analogy, claiming that 'Palestinians are being told the same thing as black folks in America.'
'As a black woman in America, I am no stranger to police brutality and state-sanctioned violence. We have been criminalized for the very way we show up in the world,' Pressley said.
'Palestinians are being told the same thing as black folks in America: there is no acceptable form of resistance,' she said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement this week: 'I condemn the escalating and indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel. Israel has the right to defend herself against this assault, which is designed to sow terror and undermine prospects for peace.'
She continued: 'Every civilian death is a tragedy that we mourn. Hamas’s accelerating violence only risks killing more civilians, including innocent Palestinians.'
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