Democrats Introduce Resolution ‘Recognizing Israel as America’s Legitimate’ Ally

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 30, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

A group of 32 House Democrats signed on to a new resolution on Feb. 2 that recognizes Israel as America’s “legitimate and democratic ally” while also condemning anti-Semitism.

The bill, H.Res.92, was introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who is Jewish, shortly after Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The resolution states that Jewish Americans have “contributed in unique and positive ways to every aspect of American life, in diverse fields ranging from science to arts and entertainment” but that Jewish Americans are often the victims of anti-Semitism.

Such anti-Semitism comes in various forms, the bill states, including “age-old tropes such as controlling the government and media, yielding too much influence in decision-making bodies, seeking political, financial, and global dominance in society, and as greedy ’money-hungry' people.”

It points to the killings of Jewish people throughout history, including large-scale executions and genocide as well as “anti-Israel terrorism.”

Additionally, the bill states that Jewish Americans have also been “accused of being more loyal to Israel than to the United States, suggesting that Jewish Americans cannot be trusted neighbors, citizens, or members of society.”

Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Rise

“America’s involvement in the Middle East and alliance with the United States’ legitimate and trusted partner and ally, the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, cannot be misconstrued for lack of trust or commitment to the United States,” it states.

Therefore, the bill establishes that the House of Representatives rejects hate, discrimination, and anti-Semitism in all forms and “stands in unity with the Jewish people in the United States and around the world against the rising anti-Semitism.”

In December, a bipartisan group of more than a hundred lawmakers called on President Joe Biden to adopt a “whole-of-government approach“ to combat anti-Semitism amid a rise in violent attacks against Jewish communities.

In a letter to Biden, lawmakers cited FBI data showing that anti-Semitic hate crimes rose by 6 percent in 2020, marking the highest total in 12 years.

A separate audit by the Anti-Defamation League found that there were 2,717 anti-Semitic incidents throughout the country in 2021, marking a 34 percent increase from the 2,026 incidents registered in 2020 and the highest number on record since.

Multiple lawmakers signed on to Thursday’s resolution although the most notable among them was Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who is Muslim American and has often been outspoken in her criticism of Israel.

Omar’s backing of the bill came on the same day that Republicans voted to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee following previous remarks she made about Israel which they claimed were “anti-Semitic” and “anti-Israel” and thus disqualified her from serving on the panel.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on April 20, 2021. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Rep. Omar Removed From House Foreign Affairs Committee

In 2019, Omar, a Somali refugee who is one of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress, wrote on Twitter that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other Jewish donors were paying politicians to back Israel.

“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” the lawmaker wrote in the since-deleted tweet.

Her controversial comments quickly sparked a backlash from her fellow lawmakers and she later apologized, stating that “anti-Semitism is real” and her intention was “never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole.”

Despite her apology, the House voted 218–211 to remove Omar from the panel on Thursday. The resolution to remove her was introduced by first-term Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), who is Jewish.

“With her often repeated anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, Congresswoman Omar has demonstrated that she does not have the objective mindset appropriate for representing the United States on this essential committee,” the resolution noted.

However, Omar cut a defiant note on Twitter shortly after the vote, writing: “My critique of our foreign policy, Israeli’s policy towards Palestinians or that of any foreign nation will not change. As a person who suffered the horrors of war and persecution, my advocacy will always be for those that suffer because of the actions of governments.”