The Minnesota freshman’s name doesn’t appear in the resolution, which could go to the House floor as soon as Thursday, but it denounces anti-Semitism by describing tropes similar to some of those she has invoked.

Omar has apologised for some of her controversial remarks and defended others.

“I am told every day that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone,” she wrote in a March 3 tweet.

The fact that the resolution doesn’t specifically refer to Omar has done little to calm her supporters among progressives, including fellow freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who said there are far worse examples of offensive behavior and statements in Congress.

In some cases, Omar’s supporters defended her underlying point that historic ties between the US and Israel should be reexamined.

Threat to unity

The vote risks new tension between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and high-profile freshmen who thus far have been supportive of her leadership strategy and agenda.

Debate over the resolution has exposed a divide between older Democrats who sharply criticised Omar and some younger progressive freshmen in a historically diverse class of lawmakers.

The differences challenge the unity Pelosi has cited as the party’s greatest asset in setting a bold agenda for their House majority.

A vote on the resolution was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed as House leaders finalised the text.

Asked Tuesday about the timing for the vote and the content of the measure, Pelosi said, “Congress is working its will.”

Pelosi said she had met personally with Omar regarding her comments.

Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old with an outsized social media presence, called the resolution a “nuclear option” on Twitter and urged Democratic leaders to use this moment for a lesson in inclusion, rather than censure.

“I believe that Ilhan, in her statement a few weeks ago, has demonstrated a willingness to listen+work w/impacted communities,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet.

“If we called resolutions on sexist statements, a good chunk of Congress would be gone. To jump to the nuclear option every time leaves no room for corrective action.”

Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, together with Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, have called themselves a “squad” in social media posts and have publicly come to each other’s defence.

Tlaib, who was on stage with Omar at an event last week when she made the comment about “allegiance to a foreign country” that’s been criticised, later compared Omar to “civil rights icons before us who spoke out about oppressive policies.”

Omar’s comments questioning the political influence of Israel drew strongly worded statements from veteran Democrats and committee chairmen for echoing historic prejudice against Jews.

Omar, 36, has defended her remarks as furthering a foreign policy debate and pledged to “combat hate of all kinds.”

The resolution would be the second anti-Semitism measure to pass under the Democratic majority, although the first one was presented by Republicans in a surprise procedural vote on a resolution regarding Yemen – the same week Omar tweeted rap lyrics to suggest pro-Israel politicians were motivated by money.

Omar apologised for those tweets, but defended her original question about the influence of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Republicans have also been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes.

Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee, on Sunday tweeted that the Democratic chairman of that committee, Jerrold Nadler, who is Jewish, was siding with billionaire and impeachment-advocate Tom Steyer, whose father is Jewish.

His spelling of “$teyer” was criticised for suggesting a connection between Jewish individuals and money.

Nadler later tweeted that Jordan’s comment “counts as both inane AND anti-Semitic.”

Omar herself has been the target of prejudice and threats of violence.

Last week, a display from West Virginia Republicans linked Omar, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, to the Sept 11 terror attacks.

She has received death threats, and she says her experience coming to the United States from a refugee camp in Kenya has helped her understand persecution and weather her current controversy.

“I know what it feels to be someone who is of faith that is vilified,” Omar said in the same comments that inspired this resolution.

“I know what it means to be someone whose ethnicity is vilified.”