(JTA) Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., defended her critiques of Israel as calling for a more “balanced” policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also described Israel as the “historical homeland” of the Jews.
In the same op-ed Monday for the Washington Post, the Somali-American freshman lawmaker also reiterated her support for a two-state solution to the conflict, calling for “internationally recognized borders, which allows for both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own sanctuaries and self-determination.”
The op-ed is the most extensive articulation of her Mideast views since a controversy erupted over remarks she made at a public event last month that Jewish Democrats and others felt invoked an anti-Semitic slander.
