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US House votes to censure Rashida Tlaib for criticising Israeli attacks

Twenty-two Democrats joined with most Republicans in the chamber to censure Tlaib for allegedly "promoting false narratives" on Hamas' October 7 attack and "destruction of Israel."

AFP

US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, questions US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 18, 2019. / Photo: AFP

The US House of Representatives has voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib due to her criticism of Israel over the conflict in Gaza.

The resolution, introduced by Republican Rep. Rich McCormick, cleared the House floor in a 234-188 vote on late Tuesday. Twenty-two Democrats voted with Republicans to rebuke Tlaib as four lawmakers voted “present.”

The resolution accused Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, of "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."

Tlaib has drawn criticism from both her Republican colleagues and some within her own Democratic party due to her comments about the Israeli government. The controversy was further fueled by a video she shared on social media that included the slogan, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

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

'Palestinian people are not disposable'

Tlaib became emotional on Tuesday during her speech on the floor of the House of Representatives amid a debate over the resolution seeking to censure her.

"I can't believe we have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable," said the congresswoman representing Michigan. "We are human beings just like anyone else."

Holding a photograph up for her fellow House members to see, Tlaib continued: "My grandmother, like all Palestinians, just wants to live her life with freedom and human dignity we all deserve."

"Speaking up to save lives — no matter faith, no matter ethnicity — should not be controversial in this chamber. The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me.

What I don't understand is why the cries of Palestinian children sound different to you all. We cannot lose our shared humanity," she added.

The congresswoman stressed that her criticism has always been of the Israeli government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions.

The first resolution, introduced by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last week, was quashed by House Democrats with the support of some Republicans.