Sarah Silverman lays into ‘Squad’ over attempts to defund Iron Dome
Jewish comic says she loves AOC, Tlaib, and Omar, but finds it ‘bizarre’ that none of them are mentioning Hamas
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Comedian Sarah Silverman leveled criticism at “the Squad,” the outspoken group of progressive United States House representatives, over their attempts to block American funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, in a podcast released on Thursday.
“None of them talk about Hamas. No one in the Squad is bringing up Hamas,” Silverman on her weekly podcast, referring to the Gaza-based terror group.
“I can’t, it’s so bizarre,” she added.
The $1 billion in funding for the Iron Dome was pulled from a US government funding bill due to opposition from progressive House members last month. The Democratic leadership then advanced the funding in a standalone bill, which the House approved after a brief debate.
Israel asked for the $1 billion, which is in addition to $500 million the Iron Dome gets each year, to replenish supplies after Israel’s Gaza conflict in May.
Hamas and other Gazan terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets at Israel during May’s flare-up of fighting, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said that the pace of fire was the highest ever.
“Yes the occupation is not right, there cannot be justice in a place where there are people that have no freedom of movement. But they elected Hamas. Why do none of them even mention Hamas,” Silverman said.
Sarah Silverman wonders why The Squad never brings up Hamas. Says opposition to extra Iron Dome funding proves that "people only really like Jews if they're suffering." pic.twitter.com/HHB8yP59Jk
— Michael Arria (@michaelarria) October 1, 2021
“Israel is not good for Palestine, but you are kidding yourselves if you think Hamas is good for Palestine,” she continued.
“Please don’t defund the Iron Dome. I know that it’s not [actually going to be]… you know my family lives there,” added Silverman, who is Jewish.
She said that the opposition to the funding proves that “people only really like Jews if they’re suffering,” adding that “dead Jews, get a lot of honor.”
Still, Silverman in Thursday’s podcast repeated her support for the group of progressive House representatives.
“I wanna love them, I really do. I love AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], I love Rashida Tlaib, I love Ilhan Omar. Their domestic policies are completely aligned with mine, and I think they are so cool and kickass, but this is really scary,” she said.
“You make it hard. Not having the Iron Dome is gonna kill people,” Silverman said.
Silverman campaigned for progressive flag-bearer Bernie Sanders during the Vermont senator’s two presidential runs, and often comments about antisemitism on her self-titled podcast.
In June, Omar posted a photo of the women of the Squad — the others are Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri — on Twitter. Another member, Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, was not pictured.
The next day, Silverman commented: Love this group!! You give me hope!” and added, “Wish there was a progressive jewess in there … someday.”
“You could run and join us,” Omar responded with a smiley face.
Love this group!! You give me hope! (Wish there was a progressive jewess in there ????????????????someday)
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) June 16, 2021
Omar, the second-term congresswoman from Minnesota, has been embroiled in her fair share of antisemitism accusations over several of her public comments, including a recent tweet that said that Israel and the US have committed “crimes of humanity” comparable to those of Hamas, the terror group ruling Gaza.
Silverman praised Omar’s apologetic op-ed in The Washington Post in 2019 in response to the storm of criticism over the lawmaker’s tweet on the AIPAC Israel lobby that many found antisemitic. Silverman’s sister Susan, a prominent Reform rabbinical leader, took some issue with Omar’s comments at the time.
Moderate Jewish Democratic lawmakers have expressed frustration with the Squad and the US progressive movement’s broader proclivity to harshly condemn Israel and call for a conditioning on funding to the Jewish state. Omar, Tlaib, and Bush are the only members of Congress who endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.