Donald Trump, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaub all issued hollow statements after 49 Muslims praying at two New Zealand mosques were mowed down by gunfire on Friday – after Trump, Omar, and Tlaib played dangerous games with volatile issues.
It would be customary to expect reactions from our president and Muslim members of the U.S. House of Representatives in the wake of such a tragedy, but these are three people who should never have been entrusted with power. Given their records, their words do not help.
I wonder if maybe, after less than three months in power, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives should launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, damn the political consequences, and whether the people of Minneapolis and Detroit should commence petition campaigns demanding that Omar and Tlaib respectively resign their House seats. Their constituents deserve to be represented by rational people.
Pro-Israel Democrats fell short of censuring Omar the other week for implying that American Jews prioritize Israel’s needs over those of America. The House approved a resolution condemning all kinds of prejudice – not only anti-Semitism.
Then Trump jumped into the fray, proclaiming: “I thought that vote was a disgrace and so does everybody else, if you get an honest answer…The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They’ve become an anti-Jewish party.”
Are we hearing right? Omar and Tlaib are among four House Democrats who have made abrasive comments about Israel. That leaves 231 Democrats. While some others may share their attitudes about Israel, nobody of whom I am aware has expressed these views in such hostile ways.
Hard to believe considering that the “anti-Jewish party” includes people with names like Nadler, Wasserman-Schultz and Schiff. Even House Democrats named Hoyer, Pelosi and Boyle (as in Brendan, my representative) support Jewish causes.
Trump’s statement is a brazen lie. Most Democrats in Congress remain supportive of Israel. It could become an “anti-Jewish party” if Omar and Tlaib’s numbers multiply and they seize control of the party, as advocates for the Palestinians have done in Britain’s Parliament.
The President’s reaction is just as offensive as Omar’s comments. He expects to recruit Jews on the strength of distorted events.
Earlier, Tlaib told senators that “they forgot what country they represent” in sponsoring pro-Israel legislation. Chief sponsor Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is not Jewish, but an estimated 800,000 Jews live in his state.
When she learned of Friday’s massacre, Omar said, “Love trumps hate.” Except when it comes to Jews?
“The painful loss of life based on hate makes me so angry,” Tlaib added. “I am so angry at those who follow the ‘white supremacy’ agenda in my own country that sends a signal across the world that massacres like this is some kind of call to action.”
“White supremacy, bad. Radical Islam, never heard of it,” Tlaib is saying in so many words.
And Trump tweeted, “The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do.”
Perhaps New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, can ask Trump, “The way you stand by all the other world’s democracies?”
We can hope that Trump, Omar and Tlaib understand the import of Friday’s rampage. It has happened to Jews, Muslims and Christians before and can happen again.
Republished from San Diego Jewish World