Congresswoman Condemns Biden for Siding with Israel’s ‘Oppressive Occupation’

US Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (AFP photo)

Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has condemned US President Joe Biden for siding with Israel’s “oppressive occupation” of Palestine and carrying out recent atrocities against Palestinians. 

Minnesota's Representative, a Muslim of Somali descent, made the remarks in a twitter post after Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday where he said Israel has a right to defend itself.

According to the White House, Biden “conveyed his unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians.”

“He also conveyed the United States’ encouragement of a pathway toward restoring a sustainable calm. He shared his conviction that Jerusalem (al-Quds), a city of such importance to people of faith from around the world, must be a place of peace. He updated the Prime Minister on the United States’ diplomatic engagement with regional countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, as well as with Palestinian officials,” the White House statement read.

Commenting on this, Omar said, “No mention of Sheikh Jarra. No mention of the al-Aqsa raid. No mention of the 13 innocent children killed in air strikes. No mention of the ongoing occupation of millions in an open air prison. You aren’t prioritizing human rights. You’re siding with an oppressive occupation.”

Her comments came as Israel continued its airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing a barrage of rockets from resistance groups in Gaza.

The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll from Israel’s raids has risen to 86, including 17 children and seven women. According to Palestinian officials, some 95 percent of the victims are civilians.

The Israeli airstrikes also wounded 487 people in over three days of attacks on the besieged enclave. Israel said some 1,600 rockets have been fired toward the occupied territories by resistance groups in Gaza since Monday evening.

The Qassam Brigades says there are ‘no red lines’ for the resistance group in protecting al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian territories.

The Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories have been simmering with rage in the past weeks over Israel’s scheme to expel dozens of Palestinians from their homes in the volatile Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds as part of a long-running scheme to Judaize Palestinian lands.

The anger against the Tel Aviv regime further intensified earlier this month with Israeli attacks on Palestinian worshipers in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the fasting days of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The Israeli military has been under fire globally over its crimes against Palestinians, especially those residing in Gaza, which has already been under a crippling Israeli siege.