Hamas denounced US Rep. Ilhan Omar in a press release on Friday for equating the "Palestinian Resistance" to the "crimes of Israel and the US invasion of Afghanistan."
The militant organization said that while they appreciated Mrs. Omar's attempt at defending the Palestinian people, they "deplored the unfair combination."
They asked Omar and "and all defenders of Palestinian rights" to describe things accurately, citing the importance of "laying the foundation of just solution to this chronic conflict."
The release refers to a conversation held by Omar with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, a video clip of which she shared on her Twitter account.
Omar’s tweet Monday said, “We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. … We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.”
We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban. I asked @SecBlinken where people are supposed to go for justice. pic.twitter.com/tUtxW5cIow
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 7, 2021
However on Thursday, after pressure from Jewish Democrats in Congress, Omar clarified her remarks.
“On Monday, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about ongoing International Criminal Court investigations,” Omar said.
“To be clear: the conversation was about accountability for specific incidents regarding those ICC cases, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the US and Israel. I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.”
Ron Kampeas/JTA contributed to this report.