You can add Russia to the list of countries that Rep. Ilhan Omar opposes sanctioning while supporting sanctions against Israel.
The Minnesota Democrat, who supports sanctioning Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs but opposes “broad-based sanctions,” voted against a bill that would ban Russian oil and expand sanctions on Russia. Omar opposed the bill because of the “devastating impact” it would have on the Russian people.
Of course, this has never been a concern of hers when it comes to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel. The movement wants all “Israeli corporations, institutions, and organizations” to “become isolated or suffer economic setbacks.” The movement is all about “broad-based sanctions” when it comes to Israel, and Omar hasn’t shied away from her support of it.
To make it clear exactly where she stands, Omar has said before that sanctions are “economic warfare.” On Iran, the world’s worst state sponsor of terror, and socialist Venezuela, Omar said that sanctions were a “humanitarian and geopolitical disaster.” Now, as Russia tries to conquer Ukraine while denying that it ever attacked the country, it enjoys the same anti-sanction stance from Omar. After all, Russia isn’t Israel.
Omar has made herself clear on this issue for some time now. She thinks that Israel should be unable to defend itself against missiles fired by Palestinian terrorists. She thinks Israel should be held to a different standard than the rest of the world, including authoritarian countries that fund terrorism and routinely commit human rights abuses, such as Iran, China, and now Russia. And on top of it all, she repeatedly peddles antisemitic tropes, expecting that insincere “apologies” will simply erase her track record of bigotry.
All of this is to be expected from Omar, and it continues to speak volumes that Democrats embraced her as a celebrity legislator rather than recognizing her for the antisemite that she is. This is just another example to add to the list, and it certainly won’t be the last.
