Incoming Rep. Ilhan Omar talks to a reporter before a House of Representatives member-elect welcome briefing on Capitol Hill, November 15, 2018. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) continued her public campaign against Israel on Twitter Thursday night, comparing the state and its policies to the Jim Crow South of mid 20th century America.

Many of them truly know this, but don’t want to accept it. In the same way many Americans knew separate yet equal was immoral but remained silent until brave few were silent no more. They can attack, spin my words and vilify me, but they will not succeed in silencing me! https://t.co/JSwhoSQuGF — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 1, 2019

In citing the “millions of people under Israeli control,” liberal activist Max Berger, whom Omar was responding to, was likely referring to the Palestinian residents of the West Bank, who are governed by the Palestinian Authority, and, as such, cannot vote in Israeli elections.


Since being elected in November to represent Minnesotans in the House of Representatives, Omar has prioritized the promotion of Palestinian rights in numerous media appearances and public statements. Earlier this week, she told Yahoo News that she “almost chuckles” when she hears Israel referred to as a “democracy” and compared the country to Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

“I mean just our relationship with the Israeli government and the Israeli state. And so when I see Israel institute laws that recognize it as a Jewish state and does not recognize the other religions that are living in it and we still uphold [Israel] as a democracy in the Middle East, I almost chuckle because I know that if we see that [in] any other society we would criticize it, call it out,” Omar said. “We do that to Iran, we do that to any other place that sort of upholds its religion. And I see that now happening with Saudi Arabia and so I am aggravated, truly, in those contradictions.”


Omar was also forced to apologize earlier this month after initially defending a years-old tweet in which she accused Israel of “hypnotizing the world.”

Hi @bariweiss, You are correct when you say, “Perhaps Ms. Omar is sincerely befuddled and not simply deflecting” In all sincerity, it was after my CNN interview that I heard from Jewish orgs. that my use of the word “Hypnotize” and the ugly sentiment it holds was offensive. pic.twitter.com/IxPScaSzGw — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 22, 2019

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