Michigan Democrats Refuse To Consider Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Hamas

Democrats in the Michigan state House of Representatives prevented a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel from being voted on by lawmakers Thursday.

The resolution was sponsored by 53 Michigan House lawmakers, including multiple Democrats, but was unable to clear the threshold to force a vote after Democratic leadership refused to take it up. Republican State Rep. Bill Schuette introduced the resolution, which called for lawmakers to “condemn the abhorrent violence perpetrated by Hamas in October 2023, call for the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and support Israel’s right to self-defense.” 

53 Michigan House lawmakers are sponsoring a resolution "to condemn the abhorrent violence perpetrated by Hamas in October 2023, call for the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and support Israel’s right to self-defense"
Full text of the resolution, intro'd by @schuette_bill: pic.twitter.com/T0hSvbhMCz

— Rachel Louise Just (@RLJnews) October 11, 2023

The resolution gained the support of six of the 56 Democrats in the Michigan House, but Democrat House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash took issue with the resolution for not acknowledging the “mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” Michigan Advance reported.

“I think any conversation around what is happening in Israel and Palestine that makes no acknowledgment of the 70-plus year occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people is disrespectful,” said Aiyash, who represents Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority city near Detroit. “It is a disservice to the complexity and the humanity of the people that live in that region. If we want to talk about justice, [if] we want to talk about human rights, [if] we want to talk about protecting civilians, then we must include the conversation around the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip, who for decades have endured mistreatment.”

🚨WATCH: Michigan House Democrats REFUSE to take up a bipartisan resolution condemning the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas against innocent Israelis. Democrats have chosen to align themselves with extremists like @RepRashida idly stand by in silence as innocent men, women,… pic.twitter.com/RIRFCgelJT

— MichiganFreedomFund (@MichiganFreedom) October 12, 2023

Schuette and Aiyash were involved in a heated debate over the resolution on the House floor Thursday, according to Michigan Advance.

“What we’re dealing with here is a resolution calling out acts of terror,” Schuette said. “The photos and videos that you’ve seen of beheadings, of mass killings, the largest mass killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust, it is important that this body speaks.”

Aiyash deflected from addressing Hamas’ atrocities, instead criticizing Republicans for voting against a bill in June that expanded the state’s definition of hate crimes, arguing that the party failed to “stand with Jewish and Arab communities.” The floor leader and others were blasted by fellow Democrat Noah Arbit for “trying to speak on behalf of the Jewish community.” 

“I’m quite sick of colleagues who are not Jewish trying to speak on behalf of the Jewish community and not giving deference to Jewish members who are actually experiencing the pain of this moment and actually responding to the pain and concerns of constituents in this moment,” said Arbit, the founder of the Democratic Jewish Caucus. “Having other colleagues speak on behalf of those communities. I find it personally offensive … I think it has no place in a body that is supposed to be filled with mutual respect.”

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Democratic leadership in the state House assigned the resolution to the House Government Operations Committee, where the bill will likely be buried, dooming any chance of it passing, according to MLive. Aiyash did not respond to a Daily Wire request for comment that gave him the opportunity to explain his avoidance of the resolution and asked him if he condemns Hamas.  

Over 1,300 Israelis have been killed by Hamas in the attack as well as at least 27 Americans. Around 150 people, including Israelis and Americans, are believed to be held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

After Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel last Saturday, groups have rallied across the U.S. and in Michigan to support Palestinians, even as photos and videos emerged showing how Palestinian terrorists brutally murdered Israelis, targeting women and children in their attack. Hundreds of Muslims and pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in Dearborn, Michigan, Tuesday night to stand with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and condemn Israel for its “occupation.” Israel does not occupy the Gaza Strip. The area is in complete Palestinian control after the Israeli government withdrew and even forced Israelis to leave their homes. 

Another Michigan Democrat, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, has also faced criticism after she continued to fly a Palestinian flag outside of her office on Capitol Hill as Hamas terrorists invaded Israel. Tlaib released a statement following the Saturday attack on Israel that focused on criticizing Israel and called for “dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.” 

The anti-Israel congresswoman now faces censure after Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) filed a censure resolution against her on Wednesday.

“As Hamas terrorists beheaded infants, paraded dead Jewish teenagers through town, and attacked innocent concert goers in the most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust, Rep. Rashida Tlaib chose to place the blame solely on Israel and the Jewish people,” Bergman said. “There is no moral equivalence between Israel defending itself and Hamas attacking innocent Israeli civilians. Tlaib’s long history of anti-Semitic tropes and blatant anti-Jewish propaganda is both disturbing and evil – and should have no place in the halls of Congress.”