Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) used an expletive in response to pro-Israel protesters on Capitol Hill who called her out for her refusal to condemn Hamas and demanded that she “go to Gaza.”
The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon. Footage posted to social media site X showed the protesters approaching as she was preparing to enter an elevator with her staff on Capitol Hill. The protesters, who were carrying Israeli flags, demanded that Omar disavow Hamas.
“Why do you stand with Hamas? Why don’t you condemn Hamas,” one protester shouted. “Do you like Hamas and Hezbollah?”
Omar ignored the protesters until one of them told her to “go to Gaza” while referring to Omar as “sweetheart.” She could be heard saying back “F–k you!” just before the elevator door closed.
Omar is a member of the so-called “Squad” of Democrats who are known for their anti-Israel positions and for their calls on the Biden administration to condition aid to Israel.
Omar’s criticism of Israel goes back to 2019, when she came under fire after she suggested on Twitter that Republicans were attacking her at the behest of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
She subsequently issued a half-hearted apology before ultimately deleting the controversial tweets.
In another incident, Omar shared to Twitter a video of a conversation she had with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which she appeared to compare Israel and the United States to Hamas and the Taliban.
In October of last year, she caused an uproar and was criticized after she retweeted a photo of dead children and claimed that they died as a result of the IAF's bombing of Gaza. The photo was revealed to be a photo of children who died as a result of the Syrian army's nerve gas bombing.
She later was quick to blame Israel for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza which was ultimately proven to have been caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket.
In April, Omar visited the Columbia University campus, where she met with anti-Israel protesters who had set up an encampment on the campus. She visited the protest together with her daughter, Isra Hirsi, who had been suspended by the university over her participation in anti-Israel activity.