Ever since Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was elected in 2019, she has been a vocal critic of Israel and a tireless supporter of the antisemitic BDS movement. After four years of her anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric, Congress finally voted to censure her on Nov. 7 by a vote of 234-188. Censure is one level below expulsion and constitutes a stunning rebuke to any member of Congress. Many have called for Tlaib’s censure over the past four years without result, but better late than never.
The censure resolution was brought by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.). It accused Tlaib of “promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel” and “calling for the destruction of Israel.”
A similar resolution was brought by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) a week earlier and was defeated 222-186. Her resolution cited Tlaib’s participation in an Oct. 18 Capitol protest, as well as her “antisemitic activity and sympathizing with terrorist organizations.”
The McCormick resolution dropped Greene’s use of the word “insurrection” to describe the Capitol protest, but added that Tlaib “continued to knowingly spread the false narrative” that Israel intentionally bombed Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. Tlaib echoed this lie despite evidence accepted by President Joe Biden and even The New York Times that a rocket fired by Islamic Jihad hit the hospital parking lot.
Tlaib’s use of the chant “from the river to the sea” was described in McCormick’s resolution as “widely recognized as a genocidal call for violence to destroy the State of Israel.” Although he did not vote for the censure, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), when asked if he had concerns over Tlaib’s use of the chant, replied, “Of course I do.” Tlaib was also quoted saying, “Joe Biden supported genocide of the Palestinian people.”
What most don’t know is that Rashida Tlaib’s grandmother lives in a million-dollar villa in Beit Ur al-Fauqa, 15 miles from Jerusalem. She has lived there since 1974 in peace and tranquility. She has had it good and benefited greatly from Israel’s victory in 1967. Her granddaughter would never admit to this truth.
The McCormick resolution could not have passed without the 22 Democrats who voted in favor. However, only three Democrats from New York supported it: Ritchie Torres, Dan Goldman and Pat Ryan. They should be thanked and commended. In particular, it is wonderful that Goldman, who represents New York’s 10th District and is an heir to the Levi-Strauss and Co. fortune, voted to censure one of Israel’s harshest and most bitter enemies in Congress.
