“Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) received harsh criticism for circulating a social media post that showed photos of dead children in Syria she claimed were children who died in Gaza in the fighting between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
Omar retweeted a post that said “CHILD GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE” and “614 Palestinian children murdered by the Israeli [IDF] forces,” according to a screenshot posted to X by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Saturday. However, a community note stated that the picture was from a 2013 sarin gas attack in Ghouta, Syria, and not from the Israel-Hamas war that began when Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
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The AIPAC post highlighted one from Omar’s fellow “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in which Ocasio-Cortez blasted the “level of misinformation” circulating around social media. Omar has since un-reposted the photo.
“If you see a claim, photo, or video that triggers a strong emotional reaction, take a moment to pause and check for veracity/confirmation from multiple sources,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
AIPAC called out Ocasio-Cortez for Omar’s reposting, accusing the “Squad” of being anti-Israel.
“[Omar] is spreading dangerous misinformation, blaming Israel for killing kids who were killed by Assad in Syria 10 years ago,” AIPAC wrote. “Once again, the Squad doesn’t let the facts get in the way of their anti-Israel narrative.”
This criticism comes after several progressive Democrats called for a broader return to order and peace on both sides and an end to the “apartheid” government in Israel. Omar said in a post to X two days following the Hamas attacks that the U.S. should “use its diplomatic might to push for peace” and end the “continuing unconditional weapons sale and military aid to Israel.”
Omar has been criticized in the past for posts viewed as discriminatory and antisemitic since 2012, when she wrote on then-Twitter that “Israel has hypnotized the world.” In 2018, she posted, “Drawing attention to the apartheid Israeli regime is far from hating Jews.” She has since clarified that she was unaware that “hypnotized” was a trope and that it was “a very enlightening part of this journey.”
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The conflict between Palestine and Israel has long divided public opinion, with Democrats split over which side they lean toward. A Gallup poll from March found that Democrats’ sympathies have shifted to “lie more with Palestinians than the Israelis, 49% versus 38%.” Some Democrats have already received criticism and backlash for their Palestinian support, dating back to their boycott of the Israeli president’s joint address to Congress earlier this year.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Omar’s office for comment.
