Tlaib Censured By House For Saying Biden 'Supports Genocide' In Gaza
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was censured by the House Tuesday night after posting a video on X claiming that President Biden "support(s) the genocide of the Palestinian people."
The clip also shows pro-Palestine protesters chanting "from the river to the sea" - a refrain which Tlaib described as "an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate," and Jews interpret as "kill all the Jews."
From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 3, 2023
She was reprimanded by a vote of 234-188-4, with 22 Democrats joining the majority of Republicans to support the resolution, and four Republicans voting against it on free speech grounds (Buck (CO), Duarte (CA), Massie (KY), McClintock (CA)). Four voted present. Joyce (R-OH), Norcross (D-NJ), Spanberger (D-VA), Wild (D-PA).
According to Business Insider:
McCormick's resolution focused on three aspects of Tlaib's rhetoric:
- Her use of the word "resistance" in her statement on the Hamas attack, where she argued that the "suffocating, dehumanizing conditions" in the Palestinian territories could "lead to resistance."
- Her claim that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, despite contradictory evidence. She later acknowledged that the Gaza Health Ministry's claims were in doubt and called for an independent investigation.
- Her use of the slogan "from the river to the sea," a slogan that many view as antisemitic but is viewed as a call for freedom and equality by many Palestinians.
In a floor speech earlier on Tuesday, Tlaib argued that Republicans were trying to censor her and dehumanized Palestinians, while fellow Democrats argued that she has a right to free speech.
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.
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) November 7, 2023
I’m from Detroit, where I learned to speak truth to power, even if my voice shakes. pic.twitter.com/bXhGPCcKat
"It's a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000," wrote Tlaib in a statement "Many of them have shown me that Palestinian lives simply do not matter to them, but I still do not police their rhetoric or actions."
NEW: Rep. @RashidaTlaib has been censured by the House for her comments on Israel — the 26th lawmaker in American history.
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) November 8, 2023
TWENTY-TWO Democrats voted to censure Tlaib, while 4 Republicans voted against it.
Four lawmakers voted present. pic.twitter.com/gaWJ1dPUGX
Last week an effort to censure Tlaib failed, after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced a resolution accusing Tlaib of "leading an insurrection" on Capitol Hill during an Oct. 18 protest.
