.
Particularly, Rep. Omar was pressed over her calls alongside other “Squad” members for a ceasefire, with Vaughn asking her about what future she wants for Hamas, asking, “Congresswoman, you have called for a cease-fire — are you okay with Hamas terrorists continuing to exist?”
Continuing, Vaughn asked, “Do you think that Israel should just lay down their arms and not try to get the hostages out of Gaza? How can Israel have a cease-fire with terrorists whose entire mission is to wipe out their existence?”
Omar, for her part, refused to answer Vaughn and her persistent questioning, occurring as it was on Capitol Hill, until Vaughn attempted to stop her and force her to answer by standing in an elevator entryway. Rep. Omar’s staff insisted that Vaughn get out of the way, at which Omar insulted Vaugh, saying “Ignore this crazy lady, don’t worry about her.”
Watch the incident here:
REPORTER (@hillary__vaughn): "Are you okay with Hamas terrorists continuing to exist? … How can Israel have a ceasefire with terrorists whose entire mission is to wipe out their existence?"
ILHAN OMAR: "Ignore this crazy lady" pic.twitter.com/kprYyuwlbF
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 20, 2023
The incident came after Rep. Omar, in a recent press conference, said, “How is it that we have a president who is talking about releasing hostages, who is talking about getting American citizens out of Israel, but could not get himself to say, ‘I want to save and work to save the hundreds, thousands of Americans stuck in Gaza.’ What is wrong with you?‘” She continued, “How is this possible? Wait, so [are] certain Americans’ lives [more] important than another?”
Rep. Omar then added, “Is the American that is living in Gaza less important than the one living in Israel? How is it that you’re telling American citizens to go to the south of Gaza, but you can’t tell Netanyahu not to bomb the south because there are Americans there?”
And, attacking the DNC, she said, “And not a single condemnation comes from our caucus leadership or any member of Congress. How is it — how is it that we are serving in a body, serving in a body where there are members who condemn us for asking for a peace, for cease fire, the most simplest thing?”
In her original tweet on the Hamas attacks, Omar said, “I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas. Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen, which we cannot allow to continue. We need to call for deescalation and ceasefire. I will keep advocating for peace and justice throughout the Middle East.”
In the Squad’s ceasefire statement, AOC said, “Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region. An immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives.”
