Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a Palestinian American and member of the leftist “Squad” in the House, has kept a Palestinian flag outside her congressional office as Israel continues to fight back from a gruesome Hamas attack, which included the raping of women and murder of children.
Tlaib also notably has an LGBT flag outside her office. Being gay or identifying as LGBT in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, is a crime.
Washington Examiner reporter Reese Gorman first reported Monday on the Palestinian flag outside Tlaib’s office. The post has already garnered millions of views.
“Rep. Rashida Tlaib still has a Palestinian flag hanging outside her House Office amid Hamas’ invasion of Israel,” Gorman captioned the image.
New: Rep. Rashida Tlaib still has a Palestinian flag hanging outside her House Office amid Hamas’ invasion of Israel.
Story: https://t.co/2fnZXMghsN pic.twitter.com/Tebnf91ae7
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) October 9, 2023
Matthew Foldi, a reporter for The Spectator, said the story is “actually even funnier,” posting a photo of Tlaib’s LGBT flag near the Palestinian flag.
“Right next to the flag of the nonexistent country of ‘Palestine,’ Rashida Tlaib has an LGBT flag—I just took this pic,” Foldi captioned his post. “This is a contradiction so irreconcilable that I won’t bother.”
This is a great @reesejgorman story, but it’s actually even funnier
Right next to the flag of the nonexistent country of “Palestine,” Rashida Tlaib has an LGBT flag—I just took this pic
This is a contradiction so irreconcilable that I won’t bother https://t.co/34AqVkZLn7 https://t.co/Poepjhlwir pic.twitter.com/HGyfdou5Av
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) October 9, 2023
Tlaib was criticized online for both flags. Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) said foreign flags should be banned from the halls of Congress. “The Palestinian flag should not have a place here,” he wrote on X, according to the New York Post. “The halls of Congress belong to America.”
X account “End Wokeness” commented on the two flags next to one another, writing, “Rep. Rashida Tlaib is flying a Palestinian flag and an LGBTQ pride flag outside her office. Who wants to tell her?”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib is flying a Palestinian flag and an LGBTQ pride flag outside her office. Who wants to tell her? pic.twitter.com/tga4jgPcjj
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 9, 2023
Tlaib has faced backlash in the past for comments about Israel. In January, the Democrat posted about Israel and some Americans allegedly supporting “apartheid.”
“Palestinians may be banned from flying their flag under an apartheid government, but we can still proudly do it at my office,” she wrote. “I’m proud to be a Palestinian American and I want the Palestinian people to know that not all Americans support apartheid. No one can erase our existence.”
Palestinians may be banned from flying their flag under an apartheid government, but we can still proudly do it at my office. I’m proud to be a Palestinian American and I want the Palestinian people to know that not all Americans support apartheid. No one can erase our existence. pic.twitter.com/vuW5ciLo1k
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) January 25, 2023
Following the terrorist attacks on Israel, Tlaib again invoked apartheid.
“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,” she said in a statement.
“The path to the future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,” Tlaib said.
“The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer,” she added. “No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence. We cannot ignore the humanity in each other. As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report
Related: Tlaib Breaks Silence On Hamas Attack On Israel, Blames ‘Apartheid System’