Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has been castigated for past comments that many perceived as anti-Semitic, said that she's planning to travel to Israel to see the "occupation" while also saying she plans a resolution in support of a campaign to boycott the country.
“I am going in a couple of weeks and so I’ll learn more,” Omar said. “But truly, everything that I hear points to both sides feeling like there is still an occupation.”
She said that she supports a two-state solution.
“We must really address that [occupation] and make sure that as we push forth a two-state solution, that we acknowledge that and fight any attempts to stall this process and make sure that there is an opportunity for both sides to fully recognize each other’s dignity and to live peacefully," she said.
Omar said she opposes the anti-BDS resolution.
“If we are going to condemn violent means of resisting the occupation, we cannot also condemn nonviolent means,” Omar said during the committee meeting.
She introduced a pro-boycott resolution that doesn't mention BDS but was a response to the anti-BDS measure.
The bill states it "affirms that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution" and "opposes unconstitutional legislative efforts to limit the use of boycotts to further civil rights at home and abroad."
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) said that the resolution shouldn't be taken seriously.
The planned trip and resolution came after Omar was asked during an interview whether she regretted past comments, such as when she said lawmakers primarily supported Israel for financial gain.
"You don’t regret your words?" Gayle King of CBS asked the representative.
“I do not," Omar responded.
"But I have gotten the—I am grateful for the opportunity to really learn how my words make people feel and have taken every single opportunity I’ve gotten to make sure that people understood that I apologize for it."
Omar said earlier this year: “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
She said in a missive years ago: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel."
She deleted the tweet this year after speaking with Jewish organizations. "My use of the word ‘Hypnotize’ and the ugly sentiment it holds was offensive," she said, explaining why she removed it.
Just weeks later, though, Omar took to Twitter to insinuate that the Jewish group AIPAC was behind a scheme to exchange funding for politicians in return for supporting Israel. When asked why American politicians support Israel, she added: "It's all about the Benjamins!" referring to money. After fierce criticism, she apologized but also suggested she was being criticized for speaking her mind.
The criticism included a statement from the Anti-Defamation League's CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt.
“As Americans and Jews, we expect our politicians to condemn bigotry, not to fuel it. Words matter. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in the U.S. and abroad, Rep. Omar is promoting the ugly, anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews have an outsized influence over politics," he said at the time.
"The notion that wealthy Jews are controlling the government is a longstanding anti-Semitic trope and one of the pillars of modern anti-Semitism, a retread of ideas spread by bigots from David Duke to Louis Farrakhan.”