Hamas issued a statement on Friday denouncing Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar for her equation of them and the Taliban to Israel and the United States.
Issued by Dr. Basem Naeem of Hamas’ international relations office, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization said they “appreciate” her stance on “justice” for Palestinians but asked her to describe events “accurately.”
Hamas issued press release denouncing US Rep. Illhan Omar (@Ilhan) for equating the ‘Palestinian resistance’ to the ‘crimes’ of Israel & US invasion in Afghanistan. They appreciate her stance on justice, especially for Palestinians. But asks her to describe events ‘accurately.’ pic.twitter.com/gWO34xGQqx
— Joe Truzman (@Jtruzmah) June 11, 2021
“The recent statements of Mrs. Ilhan Omar, a member of the US House of Representatives, in which she equated the victim with the executioner, are very surprising, as she equated the resistance of the Palestinian people on the one hand, and the crimes of the Israeli occupation in Palestine and the American aggression in Afghanistan on the other,” read the statement, which the Daily Caller translated from Arabic.
“We appreciate Mrs. Ilhan Omar’s stances in defending justice and the rights of the oppressed around the world, foremost of which are the just rights of our Palestinian people, but we deplore this unfair combination of injustice and international law. The Palestinian people have been living under the Zionist occupation for more than seven decades, during which they suffered a lot, and the most heinous crimes were committed against them,” it went on to say.
“However, the other side refused to comply with all international resolutions, and continued its arrogance and oppression of our people and threatening international stability and security, unfortunately with the full support and protection of successive US administrations.”
“Accordingly, we look to Mrs. Ilhan Omar, and all defenders of Palestinian rights, to describe things correctly and accurately, because this is the most important starting point for laying the foundations for a just solution to this chronic conflict,” Hamas concluded. (RELATED: ‘The Hamas Caucus’: Republicans Launch Explosive Term For Ocasio-Cortez ‘Squad’)
Omar was widely criticized for remarks she made while questioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which she equated the “atrocities” of the Taliban and Hamas with the United States and Israel.
We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.
We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice. pic.twitter.com/tUtxW5cIow
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 7, 2021
The remarks prompted several Jewish Democrats in the House to release a statement denouncing Omar’s comments to which members of the progressive “squad” responded by accusing their Democratic colleagues of “Islamophobia” and “anti-blackness.”
The criticism also prompted Omar to release a statement in which she said she was in “no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.”