Democrat Senator and 2020 Democrat presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren defended Rep. Ilhan Omar against charges of anti-Semitism by warning that “branding criticism of Israel as automatically anti-Semitic has a chilling effect.”
“We have a moral duty to combat hateful ideologies in our own country and around the world — and that includes both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” Warren said in a statement Wednesday.
“In a democracy, we can and should have an open, respectful debate about the Middle East that focus on policy. Branding criticism of Israel as automatically anti-Semitic has a chilling effect on our public discourse and makes it harder to achieve a peaceful solution between Israelis and Palestinians,” Warren continued.