Posted on 11/21/24
| News Source: FOX45
Three members of the progressive congressional "Squad" on Wednesday voted against a House resolution condemning a “global rise of antisemitism," making them the only Democrats to do so.
Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Cori Bush, D-Mo., said “nay” to House Resolution 1449, which calls on countries to counter antisemitism.
Each of the congresswomen expressed opposition to the resolution’s reference to a “working definition” of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which says that “antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”
“Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities,” the definition reads.
In a statement, Rep. Omar called the definition harmful and said it “dangerously conflates legitimate criticism of Israel to antisemitism and further harms our ability to address antisemitism.”
“I condemn antisemitism unequivocally, however this resolution does nothing to combat antisemitism,” the statement reads. “I will continue to stand against any attempt to silence genuine concerns of the Israeli government as antisemitism.”
Rep. Tlaib said the definition will be used to “stifle dissent” and “chill free speech,” particularly advocacy for the human rights of Palestinians.
“This resolution also does not recognize that the fight against antisemitism is connected to our fight against Islamophobia, racism, white nationalism, and all other forms of hate,” she noted.
Rep. Bush echoed her remarks, posting on social media platform X that “standing against hate must never come at the cost of silencing valid & necessary critiques.”
The only reference in the resolution to IHRA’s definition of antisemitism reads, “whereas, in 2016, the 31 member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance adopted a legally nonbinding ‘working definition’ of antisemitism, an important internationally recognized tool to increase understanding of antisemitism.”
Reps. Omar, Tlaib and Bush were the only Democrats to oppose the resolution, which passed by a 388-21 vote. The congresswoman who introduced it, Rep. Kathy Manning, D-N.C., had expressed an urge for her colleagues to join her in “taking a stand against the alarming rise of antisemitism.”