Rashida Tlaib, the sole American Palestinian member of Congress was censured by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday for statements she had made against Israel, as per the US media.
In a motion that was approved by 234 votes to 188, Republicans as well as several members of her own party censured the Democrat.
According to the resolution, Rashida Tlaib was advocating for the “destruction of the state of Israel” and spreading “false narratives” about the raid on October 7.
The wording of the resolution states that Tlaib was censured for a number of remarks she made, including a video that she shared on social media in which she called on President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire and accused him of supporting what she called the “genocide” of Palestinians.
The video also shows a crowd chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which the motion said “is widely recognised as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel.” Tlaib had said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate”.
She defended herself in an emotional address after the vote, US media reported. “It is important to separate people and governments,” Tlaib said. “No government is beyond criticism. The idea that criticising the government of Israel is anti-Semitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation,” she said.
Tlaib had to deal with official displeasure for her criticism of Israel for the second time in two weeks.
CNN said that Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a stronger-worded resolution against Tlaib last week, but the House blocked it.
Tlaib is a member of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, which also includes Ayanna Pressley and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The first two Muslim congresswomen in the US to be elected were Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
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