Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, was censured by the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 7, 2023, in response to her public statements following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Her statements calling for justice for the Palestinian people were related to the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing on Oct. 17, 2023.
Gaza Health Ministry and Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem reported between 200 and 471 Palestinian refugees were killed and 342 wounded. The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area. Later, Israel claimed the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hamas strongly condemned Israel, accusing them of bombing and destroying the hospital in a "sadistic" attack.
The censure resolution falsely accused Tlaib of calling for the destruction of the state of Israel. This was linked to her use of the phrase "from the river to the sea." The resolution also criticized her for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Tlaib defended her remarks, arguing that her statements were not antisemitic and were instead a reflection of her advocacy for Palestinian rights. She rejected the interpretation that her rhetoric called for violence or the destruction of Israel.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez joined a few other purported Democrats in condemning a member of Congress for using her freedom of speech. She also more recently condemned Rep. Al Green for a similar “crime” of using his free speech to oppose actions by President Trump.
On Sunday, April 13, once again Israeli aircraft struck what was left of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in central Gaza City with two bombs at around 2:10 a.m. While the attack has been widely reported by international media and organizations, specific casualty numbers are not currently available.
I challenge Gluesenkamp Perez to publicly apologize to Rep. Rashida Tlaib for her previous attack on an elected colleague or she should make a clear statement of her support of genocide and her lack of support for the First Amendment.
Larry Kerschner
Centralia
