After days of silence, Klobuchar condemns Omar Fateh staffers who defended Hamas

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is finally speaking out after reports revealed that Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh’s campaign staffers defended Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre and called for Israel’s destruction.

In a statement to Jewish Insider on Wednesday, Klobuchar spokesperson Jane Meyer said the senator “strongly and immediately condemned the Hamas terrorist attack, and condemns any statements to the contrary.”

“These comments are outrageous and have no place in our politics,” Meyer said of the staffers’ remarks, according to Jewish Insider. “She has spoken out against antisemitism for years. She has endorsed the mayor [Jacob Frey] and did so months ago.”

Jewish Insider reported that Klobuchar’s office initially declined to comment on the matter when the publication first reached out last week.

Fateh gains, then loses party endorsement

Fateh, 35, a democratic socialist and current state senator, recently secured the DFL Party’s endorsement over Frey. However, that endorsement was revoked this week when the state party determined that the convention’s electronic voting system was “substantially flawed.”

Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz are backing Frey’s bid for a third term, though Walz’s office has not responded to questions about Fateh’s staff, according to Jewish Insider.

“I am proud to support Mayor Frey’s reelection so that we can continue working together to move Minneapolis into the future,” said the governor last month.

Staffer denied Israel’s right to exist

The latest controversy around Fateh stems from a series of now-deleted social media posts by his communications manager, Ayana Smith-Kooiman, who claimed that Israel “does not have a ‘right’ to exist” and “must be dismantled.”

She also boosted comments “dismissing widespread reports of sexual violence on Oct. 7 as ‘propaganda’ and hailing the attacks as a form of ‘resistance’ that succeeded where the peace process had failed,” according to Jewish Insider.

Alpha News previously reported on comments from Smith-Kooiman where she said she does “not give a flying f– about Hamas,” blamed “Israeli terrorism” for creating Hamas, and said “Zionists should f– off.”

According to Jewish Insider, another Fateh staffer, David Gilbert-Pederson, celebrated “what happened collectively for the people of Palestine on Oct. 7.”

Fateh campaign’s appeal to Jewish community 

Despite the backlash, Fateh’s campaign is pressing ahead with a fundraiser next month promoted as a “Jews for Fateh” event.

An online invitation encourages supporters to “gather as Jews and friends who share a vision for a city that works for everyone.”

The event promises attendees a chance to hear directly from Fateh about his vision for Minneapolis, his record at the Capitol, and ways to join what the campaign describes as its movement “to build a city that leaves no one behind.”

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