Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib is again facing Republican-led efforts to censure her over comments critical of Israel and in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas.
The House passed a GOP-led resolution on Tuesday to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over comments critical of Israel and in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas.
The move amounts to a rare and significant rebuke of the Michigan Democrat, who is the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress. The vote was 234 to 188 with four Republicans voting against and 22 Democrats voting in support of the censure resolution.
The resolution, which was introduced by Georgia GOP Rep. Rich McCormick, advanced earlier in the day after a Democratic-led effort to block the measure failed.
The congresswoman included a link to a longer statement in which she went on to say, “I cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact,” and said, “Both the Israeli and United States governments have long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes.”
She told them the truth, and they hated and silenced her for it. Good job, America!
After the House voted to block a resolution from GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to censure Tlaib last week, Greene put forward a new version of the resolution that drops a reference to a pro-Palestinian protest at the Capitol as an “insurrection,” which had made some Republicans uncomfortable.
Gotta love how the loon who was raving about Jewish Space Lasers starting forest fires in the west coast is now a grand defender of the Israeli point of view.
I don't care for the precedent of censuring a Representative for an unpopular stance. Censure should be for things that actually bring disrepute on Congress itself, like obtaining a seat through false pretenses or violating decorum by screaming during the State of the Union.
While I am not at all going to pretend it was the actual reason for the censuring, Tlaib went farther than just having an unpopular stance (which, like a lot of US politics, is actually what The People want in polls...).
"From the river to the sea" is a MAJOR dog whistle, if not outright hateful rallying cry. Because it very much is about getting rid of all Israelis "from the river to the sea". Whether that means politely exiling them or engaging in ethnic cleansing is up to interpretation.
And... I kind of do think government representatives should at least get a slap on the wrist if they are spewing hateful bigotry. Even if it is unintentional (I see a LOT of leftists who think "this is just a figure of speech"...). Doesn't matter what the target group is.
It is right up there with "all lives matter". On its own... it is a saying that can be argued as "neutral". But in context, it is real fucked. And people should at least get a whack on the nose for saying it so they can understand "don't fucking say that"
While I agree about her recklessness, congress shouldn't try to reprimand speech. It is up to the public and the voters to show her the ramifications of her actions.
Shame on any Democrats who joined the Repubs for this injustice. She speaks the truth against massive pressure from AIPAC. It's a McCarthy atmosphere where anyone who dares speak a balanced perspective on Israel and Palestine gets crushed.
There has always been a big Zionist influence in the media and politics. It is ridiculous honestly. A repub could get caught saying the N word and they wouldn't censure them, but don't you dare say anything negative about Israel.
Fuck the GOP and fuck those 22 Democrats! She's speaking truth to power and they know it!
This is politicial theatre for the owner donors and the least informed/most misinformed voters, but with chilling real world consequences for not only Tlaib herself, but EVERYONE who dares speak up for the innocent victims of the Israeli apartheid regime or any other tyrannical government that happens to have business with rich and powerful Americans 🤬🤬🤬
At this point, they could shit in their hand, say it came from Trump, and sell viewing tickets to fund their PACs. I don't know why they bother with this obvious political theatre.
While you're right about it having no practical effect in itself, it DOES have a symbolic effect that's very chilling towards the free speech rights of those telling the truth about the Israeli Apartheid regime.
Bad faith actors will be able to point to it to legitimise all kinds of heinous suppression of divergent voices and the truth they're spreading.
Following the vote to advance the censure resolution, Tlaib delivered an emotional speech on the House floor and argued that her criticism of the Israeli government should not be conflated with antisemitism.
“We are human beings just like anyone else,” she said after a long pause, during which Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota stood up to comfort her and put her hands on Tlaib’s shoulder as the congresswoman braced herself against the podium.
The Anti-Defamation League describes the chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” as “an antisemitic slogan” and “rallying cry (that) has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas.”
Tlaib has defended the phrase, writing on X, “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.
On October 25, Tlaib replied to her earlier post on X, saying, “Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health, and I agree with the United Nations that an independent investigation is necessary.”
“Rather than acknowledge the voice and perspective of the only Palestinian American in Congress, my colleagues have resorted to distorting my positions in resolutions filled with obvious lies,” Tlaib continued.
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