US House censures only Palestinian-American Congress member over comments on Israel-Hamas war

The US House has voted to censure the only Palestinian-American member of Congress Rashida Tlaib over her rhetoric on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Twenty-two Democrats joined 212 Republicans to vote in favour of the resolution that accused Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, of “promoting false narratives” surrounding Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and of “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.” The resolution was introduced in the House by Georgia GOP Rep. Rich McCormick and has received 234 votes in favour and 188 against. It is important to note that the support of Democratic lawmakers to reprimand one of their own indicates divisions within the party over the Israel-Hamas war. The resolution argued that Tlaib’s statement on the war that called for an end to “the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance” reflected that she “defended terrorism”. It also noted that Tlaib embraced the phrase “from the river to the sea,” a pro-Palestinian rallying cry that is also regarded by many as a call for the eradication of Israel and has been denounced by the Anti-Defamation League. ‘I will not be silenced’ Following the passage of the resolution, Tlaib said, “I am the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, and my perspective is needed here now more than ever. I will not be silenced and I will not let anyone distort my words.”

I am the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, and my perspective is needed here now more than ever. I will not be silenced and I will not let anyone distort my words.

I’m from Detroit, where I learned to speak truth to power, even if my voice shakes. pic.twitter.com/bXhGPCcKat

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) November 7, 2023

She added, “I can’t believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable,” as she tried to hold back her tears. “The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me,” Tlaib said. Tlaib reiterated that her criticism has always been against the “Israeli government” and not the Israeli people.