Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a Palestinian American and member of the leftist “Squad” in the House, broke her silence on the Hamas militant group’s attack on Israel from Gaza with a statement placing fault on what she called an “apartheid system” backed by the United States.
“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,” Tlaib said in a statement on Sunday.
“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,” the congresswoman added.
“The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer,” Tlaib continued. “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.”
Statement from @RepRashida Tlaib pic.twitter.com/1GdpREtLqZ
— Melissa Nann Burke (@nannburke) October 8, 2023
Tlaib has long faced backlash over past comments about Israel and the Palestinians but has also received praise from some — including President Joe Biden, who said he admired her “passion” during a 2021 speech in Michigan. Her statement on Sunday drew a familiar wave of condemnation from the GOP side.
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The National Republican Congressional Committee responded with a post to X that said, “Extreme House Democrats – including their leader, Antisemite sympathizer [Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)] – can either condemn this Antisemitic victim-blaming or agree with it.”
Jeremy Redfern, press secretary to Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis (who is running for president), said, “The last sentence is probably the worst part. Essentially, she’s saying that the murdering of Jews will continue until the US stops supporting Israel.”
Many U.S. leaders have issued statements condemning Hamas and expressing support for Israel as it goes to war. Among them was Jeffries, who said the Congress “must stand with Israel until the invasion by Hamas has been crushed and security in Southern Israel and throughout the country has been permanently restored.”
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), another member of “The Squad,” released a statement that said, “We must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”