(RepublicanReport.org) – The US House of Representatives moved to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a Palestinian Muslim, for recent comments she made against Israel. The Michigan lawmaker’s peers claim her words support Israeli genocide, and passed a House resolution accusing her of calling for an end to the Jewish state and spreading misinformation about Hamas’ October 7 assault.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) submitted the resolution on November 6. It notes that Israel is an important American ally, and its presence in the Middle East is vital to US national security interests. The text adds that within a day of the October 7 attack, Tlaib tried to validate Hamas’ actions as reasonable “resistance,” insisting that Israel had created an “apartheid state.” The Michigan representative also condemned the Israeli government for Hamas’ October 18 hospital explosion.
Most damning was a social media post Tlaib made on November 3, which had a video sharing the phrase “from the river to the sea.” According to the resolution, the saying is a well-known Palestinian call to eradicate the state of Israel and extend the Muslim territory from its current place along the Mediterranean, all the way to the Jordan River. It adds that Tlaib attempted to defend her words by claiming the phrase called for “freedom” and “peaceful coexistence” across the region.
The Daily Wire reports that the House voted 234-188 in favor of the censure. Most members went along party lines, although 22 Democrats voted alongside the majority of Republicans and four conservative members opposed the resolution. Four representatives voted present, and six didn’t participate.
Tlaib responded to the move by claiming her criticisms of the Israeli government aren’t anti-Semitic, adding that statements to the contrary could create “a very dangerous precedent.” Censure doesn’t affect a lawmaker’s standing in their congressional seat, but it is a heavy dishonor that can have other repercussions. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) recently lost her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee after sharing negative comments about Israel.
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