Apart from protecting Israel from criticism, the smear campaign directed against Omar is merely an attempt to stifle this new wave of youthful political activism, which paved the way for greater representation of minority groups and women in the U.S.
Recently, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its annual conference amidst political upheavals both in the United States and the Middle East. It is no secret that AIPAC has an enormously influential role in American politics and the organization’s events, and especially the annual AIPAC Policy Conference, are generally well attended by top political personalities in Washington D.C. and beyond.
During this year’s gathering, heavy criticism was directed to Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. For example, American Vice President Mike Pence said “recently, a freshman Democrat in Congress trafficked in repeated anti-Semitic tropes,” adding that “anyone who slanders those who support this historic alliance between the United States and Israel should never have a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives.”
It is interesting to note that Rep. Omar had not expressed anti-Semitic statements per se. She made comments on Twitter about the nature of AIPAC’s influence in Washington. However, her remarks were distorted and taken out of context.
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