House Rejects Boycott of Israel in 398-17 Vote; AOC and Omar Vote in Minority

The U.S. House of Representatives pushed back against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s views Tuesday by passing a resolution calling Israel a “key ally” and criticizing a prominent movement to boycott the Jewish state.

The pro-Israel resolution passed, 398-17, with 16 of the “no” votes coming from Democrats. Among the Democrats who voted against the resolution were Omar (Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). 

The resolution passed the same week Omar introduced her own resolution “affirming that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights.” 

Omar’s resolution doesn’t mention Israel, but she told reporters it was the intended target. The resolution does, however, mention boycotts of Nazi Germany and South African apartheid as positive examples from U.S. history.

At issue is the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for a worldwide boycott of Israel. 

“It is an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement,” Omar said of her resolution.

But the pro-Israel resolution that passed the House explicitly criticizes the BDS movement. That resolution calls Israel a “democratic, Jewish State” that is a “key ally and strategic partner of the United States.” 

“The…