Photo Credit: Kristie Boyd, US House Office of Photography
US Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN), 116th Congress

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) told interviewer Margaret Brennan during her appearance on the Sunday CBS program “Face the Nation this week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s existence is “contradictory to peace.”

The lawmaker made the remark in the context of a general statement slamming Netanyahu’s “existence, his policies, [and] his rhetoric” and expressing the fervent hope that the “people of Israel make a different decision” this time around when they go to the polls for Tuesday’s national elections.

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Following is the transcript of the segment of the conversation between Margaret Brennan of CBS and Representative Omar, about Prime Minister Netanyahu.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You were specifically banned by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu from visiting that country. He faces a very tough election in the next few days. If he doesn’t win, are you going to try to go back and do you stand by your call for a boycott of Israel?

REP. OMAR: I certainly hope that the people of Israel make a different decision. And my hope is that they recognize that his existence, his policies, his rhetoric really is contradictory to the peace that we are all hoping that that region receives and receives soon.

Just right now if you look at the annexation that’s taking place, for many of us in Congress there has been long standing support for its two state solution and this annexation now is going to make sure that that peace process does not happen. And we will not get to a two state solution.

I think what is really important is for people to understand that you have to give people the opportunity to seek the kind of justice they want in a peaceful way. And I think the opportunity to boycott divest sanction is the kind of pressure that leads to that peaceful process.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Congresswoman, thank you for coming here to FACE THE NATION.

REP. OMAR: Thank you so much for having me.

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.