Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) defended Palestinians after the terror group Hamas launched hundreds of missiles at Israel.
Hamas and another group, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fired more than 600 missiles at Israel since May 3.
The missiles were launched after more than 5,000 Palestinians gathered at the fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel and began burning fires and throwing rocks and incendiary devices while others attempted to sabotage the border fence, reported UPI.
The Israeli Defense Forces responded to the attempted incursion with riot control that included live ammunition, killing two Palestinians. They were identified as Raed Abu Teir, 19, and Abdullah Mahmoud Abu Malouh, 33.
“The resistance is always ready to respond to the crimes of the occupation,” a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza said. Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005 and hasn’t occupied it since.
Hamas retaliated to the killings of Teir and Malouh by launching numerous rockets at cities and villages in southern Israel, starting on May 3. Four Israeli civilians were killed while air strikes fired by Israel’s military after Hamas began launching missiles left 19 Palestinians, including some civilians, dead.
Omar, a Muslim who has repeatedly uttered antisemitic tropes since taking office, lashed out at the Jewish nation on Twitter over the weekend, repeating the false notion that the Gaza Strip is occupied.
“How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends? The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace,” she wrote.
How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends?
The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 5, 2019
Tlaib, the other Muslim in Congress who was elected in 2018 alongside Omar, who has Palestinian ancestry, and who has prominent backers who openly support terror groups, also took to Twitter to side with Palestine.
“When will the world stop dehumanizing our Palestinian people who just want to be free? Headlines like this & framing it in this way just feeds into the continued lack of responsibility on Israel who unjustly oppress & target Palestinian children and families,” Tlaib wrote. She shared a missive by activist Yousef Munayyer, who criticized the headline of a New York Times story that read “Gaza Militants Fire 250 Rockets, and Israel Responds with Airstrikes.”
When will the world stop dehumanizing our Palestinian people who just want to be free? Headlines like this & framing it in this way just feeds into the continued lack of responsibility on Israel who unjustly oppress & target Palestinian children and families. #FreePalestine https://t.co/p3X3j8WtwM
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 5, 2019
In contrast to the Democratic lawmakers, President Donald Trump reacted to the missiles by calling out Hamas and urging Palestinians not to support the terrorist group.
“Once again, Israel faces a barrage of deadly rocket attacks by terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We support Israel 100% in its defense of its citizens,” he wrote. “To the Gazan people—these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace—it can happen!”
….To the Gazan people — these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace – it can happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2019
The Trump administration also announced over the weekend that it was deploying a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the Middle East in response to Iranian provocations.
In addition to Iran being linked to Hamas, the country was planning an attack on U.S. forces in the region either on land or at sea, a U.S. official told ABC.
“The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or regular Iranian forces,” U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement following the announcement from the White House.
Bolton, who has spearheaded current U.S. policy on Iran, did not provide any other details.
