Rashida Tlaib.Photo:Drew Angerer/Getty
Drew Angerer/Getty
House members approved the censure in a 234-188 vote on Tuesday night, with 22 Democrats backing the Republican-led effort.
Tlaib defended the video’s inclusion of “from the river to the sea,” saying she views the slogan as “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate.”
The censure was Republicans' second attempt to reprimand Tlaib sinceHamas' Oct. 7 attackon southern Israel, in which terrorists killed hundreds of civilians and soldiers andtook around 240 people hostage. In response to the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas — which controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza — and indicated that a long military campaign to defeat its leaders is on the horizon.
Tlaib was previously criticized for a social media post she made on Oct. 17, after ablast at a Gaza hospitalescalated tensions in the Middle East as Palestinian militants and the Israeli government accused one another of civilian casualties.
Tlaib has since said she “cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact,” and called for a deeper investigation into the hospital blast, adding in astatement, “This debate should not distract us from the urgent need for a ceasefire to save innocent civilian lives.”
Palestinians evacuate Gaza City on Oct. 13 after the Israeli military warned of impending strikes.Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty
Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty
“It is important to separate people and governments. No government is beyond criticism,” she said, perCNN. Holding up a photo of her Palestinian grandmother, she continued: “I can’t believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human beings just like anyone else.”
Tlaib is one of four lawmakers of color who founded “the Squad,” a group of progressives initially comprised of Reps.Ayanna Pressleyof Massachusetts,Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezof New York, andIlhan Omarof Minnesota.
She and Omar, who was born in Somalia and sought asylum in the U.S. during her teenage years, were the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
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A censure is an expression of the chamber’s disapproval toward one of its members, though it has no direct consequences. Historically, censures are rare and have been reserved for acts that are criminal in nature.
source: people.com
