Washington (CNN) A Jewish freshman Democratic congressman apologized to his constituents earlier this week for "not being able to protect" them from comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar that were widely condemned by the Jewish community as anti-Semitic. Rose's remarks are the latest example of the fissure within the new Democratic House majority over the US relationship with Israel and the influence of pro-Israel supporters on US foreign policy. Last month, Omar, who is one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, apologized after she suggested money was behind politicians' support for Israel, and later generated controversy after she insinuated that pro-Israel groups were pushing "allegiance to a foreign country." The comments were seen as trafficking in anti-Semitic stereotypes and were widely condemned on Capitol Hill by both Democrats and Republicans, with Rose saying at the time that the remarks were "deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself." At Tuesday's event, Rose spoke at length about the issue.

Source: CNN March 21, 2019 14:37 UTC