‘Genocide and murder’ – Tlaib blasts US-Israel business deal

Rashida Tlaib said an Israeli defense company is “not welcome” in Michigan.

By World Israel News Staff

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a member of the far-left “Squad” of lawmakers, has slammed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for awarding a grant to establish a new facility for an Israeli defense manufacturer that plans to produce military technology on American soil.

The company, Capture Systems Ltd., will operate under a U.S. entity and is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Michigan residents. The investment comes as the state continues to contend with the long-term economic fallout from the decline of its once-dominant automotive manufacturing industry.

But for Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants to the United States, the company’s arrival represents something very different from an economic opportunity for her constituents. Instead, she has made the project another target in her longstanding criticism of Israel and U.S. support for Israeli defense companies.

“Governor Whitmer’s administration is now in the weapons business,” Tlaib wrote on her official X account.

“When small businesses, many of them Black- and women-owned, are struggling in our state, there never seems to be money for them, but Gov. Whitmer has funding for bombs that kill children,” she added.

Tlaib also linked to an article published by Truthout in which she was quoted condemning the decision.

The article included a statement from her office in which she said the Israeli company is “not welcome” in Michigan, adding that “this is an anti-war and anti-genocide state.”

Tlaib went on to accuse Capture of producing weapons that she claimed “have been used to commit genocide and murder the family members and loved ones of so many of our neighbors. They have no place in our state and should not be receiving a dime of public funds.”

Her criticism was met with a defense of the project from state Rep. Noah Arbit, a Jewish Democrat who represents Michigan’s 20th District.

In a statement to JNS, Arbit said Capture’s arrival in Michigan was important to strengthening U.S. defense capabilities and ensuring that the country remains competitive in an increasingly challenging global environment.

Capture manufactures “the kinds of systems that the U.S. needs to compete with China, Russia and other adversaries,” he stressed.