Tulsi Gabbard Backs Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Israel Bill; Also Voted for Pro-Israel Bill

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 29: U.S. Representative, HI-02 Tulsi Gabbard attends the 2016 &quot
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) signed on late last month as a co-sponsor of a resolution introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to protect boycotts of Israel — one that compares Israel to Nazi Germany.

As Breitbart News reported last month, the resolution was introduced to oppose another resolution that condemned the anti-Israel “boycott, divestment, sanctions” (BDS) movement, which many critics consider discriminatory and antisemitic (original links):

Omar’s resolution is an alternative to a bipartisan, non-binding pro-Israel resolution, H. Res. 246, which opposes the BDS movement, noting it targets Jews and declaring it an impediment to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The resolution Omar introduced, H. Res. 496, is co-sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who wants Israel to be dismantled and replaced by a Palestinian state. Civil rights veteran Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) is also a co-sponsor.

The text declares Americans have the right to engage in boycotts against Israel, and cites past examples of boycotts, including the Boston Tea Party, the anti-apartheid movement, and the boycott of Nazi Germany, among others.

A recent Israeli government report alleged that Palestinian terror groups support BDS efforts, through intermediaries.

Omar’s bill now has 15 co-sponsors, all Democrats, including Gabbard and the four members of the so-called “Squad” — Omar, Tlaib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

President Donald Trump urged Israel to bar Omar and Tlaib from entering the country on their planned forthcoming visit due to their support for BDS:

A law in Israel allows the government to bar entry to any foreigner who has backed boycotts of the country.

Oddly, Gabbard also voted for the anti-BDS bill last month, which passed the House by a lopsided margin of 398-17.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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