The one-year anniversary of Hamas’ October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel wouldn’t be complete without a fiery antisemitic statement from a member of the congressional “Squad,” and this time it was Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) who met the moment.
A spate of nationwide college campus protests broke out beginning Monday which organizers have dubbed the “Week of Rage,” using the anniversary to draw attention to casualties, displacement, and famine suffered by Palestinians. At Columbia University in New York, hundreds of keffiyeh-clad students marched while hoisting the Palestinian flag and chanting antisemitic phrases such as “Resistance is glorious! We will be victorious!” That chant was echoed by Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, on Instagram, where she quoted the students in a brief reel that later expired. However, eagle-eyed followers captured a screenshot of the antisemitic language.
AOC, Pressley, and other Squad members threw a fit last year when the U.S. House moved forward with a censure of Omar at the request of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and completing another against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MN) over similar statements. Tlaib previously called Greene’s measure “Islamophobic” as well.
The Columbia protests are also personal for Omar. In April, her daughter and two other students were suspended for their involvement in an unauthorized encampment protest on the university’s South Lawn, which has been a flashpoint in recent weeks. The protests gained additional visibility after a public endorsement by Rep. Omar, following a Congressional hearing on related issues.
“We’ve been visible, the three of us, and have been giving interviews with our government names. But it’s also like, we know that we are, there’s no hiding … for us, like they will find us. We’re pretty visible even as people, like Maryam has been a speaker at multiple protests,” student Isra Hirsi claimed at the time. “Encampment will not be intimidated. we will stand resolute until our demands are met… our demands include divestment from companies complicit in genocide, transparency of @Columbia ’s investments and FULL amnesty for all students facing repression.”
The one-year anniversary of Hamas’ October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel has sparked intense debate, and this year, a statement from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) added to the controversy. The attack’s anniversary coincided with the “Week of Rage” protests, which erupted on college campuses across the U.S., including Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian students chanted antisemitic slogans and hoisted the Palestinian flag.
Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, took to social media to echo these sentiments, quoting the students’ chant, “Resistance is glorious! We will be victorious!” Though the post was temporary, screenshots were captured and circulated, drawing further criticism. The involvement of a prominent political figure’s family member added fuel to an already divisive issue.
Mainstream media, such as The Wall Street Journal, criticized progressive Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), for their response to the anniversary, arguing they have focused more on condemning Israel’s government than acknowledging the Jewish victims of the attack. The protests on college campuses have intensified since last spring, culminating in physical confrontations, such as when students at Columbia University barricaded themselves in a building until removed by the police.
Omar has been an outspoken critic of Israeli leadership, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she has also clashed with fellow lawmakers over her views. Conservative figures like Scott Jennings have accused Omar of being a “mouthpiece” for anti-Israel groups like Hamas, a claim Omar’s allies denounce as Islamophobic.
Omar’s ties to the protests are not just political, but personal as well. Her daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended in April, along with other students, for participating in an unauthorized protest at Columbia University. The protests have been driven by demands for divestment from companies alleged to be complicit in actions against Palestinians, and the situation continues to draw attention from both supporters and critics of the movement.
The friction surrounding this anniversary is emblematic of the larger debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the boundaries of acceptable speech in political discourse. The responses from figures like Omar and the ongoing protests reflect the depth of division on these critical issues.