A question from Ilhan Omar sparks furore in US Congress

Muslim congresswoman accused of ‘drawing false equivalencies’ between the US, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban.

Democratic leaders in the United States House of Representatives sought to quell a furore among legislators on Thursday over a question Representative Ilhan Omar asked about US opposition to International Criminal Court (ICC) inquiries into alleged war crimes in Israel and Afghanistan. Omar, one of only three Muslim members of the US House, had asked in a hearing on June 7 where victims of war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas should go to seek justice if the US opposes action at the ICC. It was a fair but pointed question and Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded that courts in the US and Israel can provide adequate judicial forums for such claims.