Even though Ilhan Omar was not there, she was absolutely omnipresent at the APAC conference.

Islamophobia has become a major part of pro-Israel advocacy in the United States over the last 30 years.

I'm Mehdi Hassan, welcome to Deconstructed from the Intercept Studios in Washington, DC.

This week, APAC came to town.

Yep, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which I want to be very careful here.

Is a truly disgraceful organization?

I'm not talking here about APAC's clear opposition to any kind of viable peace process or two-state solution in the Middle East.

I'm not talking here about its de facto support for illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories

or its opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, or even APAC's hosting of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Just weeks after he did a deal involving the far-right Jewish power party, which APAC itself has called a racist and reprehensible party.

Put all that to one side for a moment.

No, I am talking about APAC's obsession.

Yes, obsession with representative Ilhan Omar and its very explicit role in mainstreaming Islamophobia in the United States.

Let's deal with Omar first.

The annual APAC policy conference attended by the great in the good of Washington, DC and beyond attended by top Democrats and Republicans alike took place this week.

But the focus of the APAC conference, you could say, was less on Israel.

And more on Ilhan Omar, who of course criticized APAC's financial influence on US politics last month and had to apologize after being accused of anti-Semitism.

In speech after speech, Omar was denounced, mocked, smeared either explicitly or implicitly.

Israelis did it. Here's Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Take it from this Benjamin. It's not about the Benjamin.

Republicans did it. Here's Vice President Mike Pence.

Recently, a freshman Democrat in Congress trafficked and repeated anti-Semitic tropes.

...