Ilhan Omar, Rashida Taliba defeat pro-Israel Republicans in US elections

US congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib defeated their Republican opponents in Minnesota and Michigan, respectively, and both candidates clinched victory against pro-Isreal competitors.

A Somali-born member of the US Congress easily marked the victory against Republican Dalia al-Aqidi, an Iraqi-born immigrant who describes herself as a "secular Muslim" and is pro-Israel. 

Omar won 76 percent of the vote against Aqiba, who clinched 23 percent from 87 percent of the total votes. 

On the other hand, Tlaib was termed the winner of Michigan by securing 77 percent of the votes and defeating Republican James Hooper, who only collected 19 percent votes.

Tlaib and Omar both have been vocal critics of the Israel war on Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians so far and has been supported by the Biden-Harris administration for more than a year. 

Tlaib had called the US to withhold weapons from Israel, her opposition to war and support for pro-Gaza protests drawn harsh criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. 

Despite declining to endorse Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for US president, she urged people to go to the polling stations and exercise their right to vote. 

Tlaib won from the State of US, where she was accused of anti-semitism. In June, the Attorney General of Michigan, Dana Nessel, claimed that the Palestinian-American congresswoman had said, “Nessel was targeting pro-Palestinian protest. 

Similarly, prior to the election, Omar also faced an offensive by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group.

Throughout her congressional career, she faced attacks from pro-Israel groups, as well as her colleague lawmakers, for criticising Israel and supporting Palestine. 

She opposed military aid to Israel, and she also continued her frequent criticism of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the war on Gaza. 

Recently, elected president Donald Trump also accused her of minimising the tragedy of 9/11.

However, both congressional women clinched the victory against Republican candidates with the higher difference of votes.