The lone Palestinian American member of the House of Representatives and Democratic Congresswoman from Michigan Rashida Tlaib has faced severe criticism from her peers due to her divisive words and actions over the Israel-Hamas conflict that broke out in October 2023.
A majority of Republicans were joined by lawmakers from her own party who voted in favour of the official public censure, which was passed by a vote of 234 to 188 on the night of 7 November.
She was charged with “promoting false narratives regarding the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel” in the resolution which was introduced by Republican Representative Rich McCormick of Georgia. The legislator had “levied unbelievable falsehoods about the attack on October 7 and our greatest ally, Israel,” based on him. The punishment is a rung below expulsion.
She is infamous for her relentless support of extremist elements and for regularly expressing anti-Israel sentiments on social media which ended up offending her colleagues and Jewish outfits. Her usage of the genocidal phrase “from the river to the sea” which is interpreted as antisemitic and advocates the eradication of Israel as well as her claim that President Joe Biden “supported the genocide of the Palestinian people” attracted the most condemnation. However, he has called for brief ceasefires in order to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians from the strip.
Rashida Tlaib also carried a sign that read “Stop US Aid to Israel’s Occupation” at a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Capitol. She infuriated her colleagues by refusing to apologise for holding Israel accountable for a deadly hospital explosion in Gaza that was later determined to have been caused by a rocket launched by the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
However, she broke down in tears as the US House moved forward with a resolution to censure her over anti-Israel comments while another pro-Islamist Congresswoman Ilhan Omar tried to comfort her as she defended her views on the conflict.
She held up a picture of her grandmother who lives in the West Bank and claimed that her dissent was focused on the Israeli government and its actions rather than the Jewish people and she was standing up for the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people who have suffered under Israeli occupation and embargo. She argued that her demands were for a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and not the destruction of the Jewish state.
“I can’t believe we have to say this but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human beings just like anyone else. My city, my grandmother like all Palestinians just wants to live her life with the freedom and human dignity we all deserve. Speaking up to save lives no matter faith, no matter ethnicity should not be controversial in this chamber. The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me. What I don’t understand is why the cries of Palestinian children sound different to you all,” Rashida Tlaib asked and added, “We cannot lose our shared humanity.”
She asserted, “Let me be clear, my criticism has always been of the Israeli government and Netanyahu’s actions. It’s important to separate people and governments, Mr. Chair, no government is beyond criticism. The idea that criticising the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent and it’s being used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”
She was subjected to a censure resolution for her disparaging remarks on Israel for the second time. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced the first resolution last week which was defeated by House Democrats with support from a few Republicans and was rejected by a vote of 222-186.
She was surrounded by several of her progressive Democratic colleagues and declared earlier in the day that she would not be “silenced” and accused others of misrepresenting what she had voiced. She spoke in favour of the expression “from the river to the sea,” and claimed that it is “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”
She alleged, “Seventy-one per cent of Michigan Democrats support a ceasefire. So, you can try to censure me, but you can’t silence their voices. President Biden must listen to and represent all of us, not just some of us.”
Notably, Censures are very rare. There have only ever been 25 House members censured in history, and Rashida Tlaib has assumed the position of becoming the 26th. She is notorious for her unrelenting support of anarchists and jihadists.
Recently, hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators flocked to the Cannon Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 18 October demanding a “ceasefire” in Gaza amid the ongoing dispute between Israel and Hamas terrorists. The Congresswoman addressed the Jewish Voice for Peace protestors with an inciting speech before their rallies outside the Cannon House office building.
She claimed that Israeli soldiers assaulted the hospital despite mounting evidence to the contrary, in reference to the recent parking space fire at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza which was started by a rocket misfire from within Gaza and for which Hamas falsely claimed responsibility for Israel. She also denounced US President Joe Biden for siding with Israel in its fight against Hamas. She has continuously taken a firm anti-Israel stand since the beginning of the war.
According to Israeli officials, since the unprecendent attack on 7 October at least 1,400 people have died and 6,900 more have been injured in Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is operated by the terrorist outfit Hamas alleged that over 10,000 people have died and up to 26,000 have been injured in the neighboring Gaza Strip, where the Israel Defense Forces are intensifying their operations, however, these figures were not verified by any independent source.