Tlaib Offers Tearful Defense of Israel Comments: ‘Palestinians Are Not Disposable’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., the only Palestinian American in Congress, offered a teary-eyed defense on the House floor Tuesday of her anti-Israel comments that have drawn GOP attempts to censure her.

"I can't believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable," said a visibly upset Tlaib, choking back tears, prompting her fellow "Squad" member, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the first Somali American in Congress, to comfort her on the House floor.

"We are human beings, just like anyone else," continued as she regained composure with Omar still by her side. Omar has also been vocally critical of the Israeli government.

Tlaib's emotional appeal came just minutes after the House rejected a Democratic-led motion to table, or kill, a resolution censuring the Michigan Democrat for her rhetoric surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. The censure, which is reserved for formal reprimands of lawmakers, will now get a vote on Wednesday, when it is expected to succeed.

The Republican resolution would censure Tlaib "for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel." Republicans have targeted comments Tlaib made defending "resistance" to the "apartheid state" of Israel and accuse her of spreading a false narrative that Israel intentionally bombed a hospital in Gaza on Oct. 17.

The measure also cites her recent social media video containing the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — which the resolution notes is "widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea."

But Tlaib defended her criticism of Israel, arguing no government should be above scrutiny and continuing her call for a ceasefire in the war.

"The refusal of Congress and the administration to acknowledge Palestinian lives is chipping away at my soul," Tlaib said. "My criticism has always been of the Israeli government ... the idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent."

The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 10,000 in the war, according to the Associated Press, while around 1,400 people have died in Israel.

Tlaib's biggest champion on Tuesday, who led her defense on the House floor, is an observant Jew, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who said while he personally "hates" the terrorist group Hamas, the Michigan progressive is due the right to free speech.

"You have to learn to tolerate not just the speech you love the most, but the speech you hate the most," Raskin said.