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‘Hateful’ Tlaib must be ousted from posts, says congressman

“By failing to act and hold Rep. Tlaib accountable, Pelosi is emboldening her and others to continue spreading and escalating this dangerous, hateful bigotry.”

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI) must be removed from her committee assignments after two new anti-Semitic incidents involving the controversial lawmaker, Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (PA) said Friday.

Tlaib is an advocate for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has made a number of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic remarks that sparked outcry from Jewish groups over the last two years.

Reschenthaler released a statement on the heels of Tlaib headlining a Zoom video conference for the group American Muslims for Palestine and promoting an “inflammatory” anti-Israel tweet.

“This week, Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib participated in a forum led by one of the nation’s most anti-Israel advocacy groups that featured other participants with reported connections to Hamas, terrorism financiers, and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,” Reschenthaler said.

Speakers who participated in the American Muslims for Palestine conference included Tarek Hamoud, executive director of the Palestinian Return Center, who reportedly has links to Hamas.

“Rep. Tlaib’s participation in this conference, coupled with her recently deleted retweet of a slogan calling for the elimination of Israel, are just the latest examples of a deeply disturbing pattern of anti-Semitism that has been on display since she was elected. Yet Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats refuse to condemn her heinous behavior.”

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Last week, Tlaib promoted a tweet on her Twitter account which read, “From the river to sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan often associated with the destruction of the Jewish state. Tlaib later deleted the tweet without explanation.

Left wing journalist Peter Beinart defended Tlaib, tweeting, “I get why many Jews find slogan ‘Palestine from River to Sea’ frightening…But Rashida Tlaib has been clear that Jews + Palestinians deserve equality. Suggesting otherwise is a smear.”

“Speaker Pelosi… is deafeningly silent. By failing to act and hold Rep. Tlaib accountable, Pelosi is emboldening her and others to continue spreading and escalating this dangerous, hateful bigotry,” continued Reschenthaler’s statement.

“…I have seen firsthand what happens when we stand by and allow anti-Semitism and intolerance to pervade our communities. In 2018, 11 Jewish worshippers were killed and six others were wounded at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.”

He ended the statement by calling for his colleagues on both sides of the political aisle to oust Tlaib from her committee assignments.

In late November, Tlaib came under fire for a tweet about president-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that some criticized as “anti-Semitic.” Tlaib was replying to a tweet by Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, calling the pick a “solid choice.”

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“So long as he doesn’t suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu’s racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice,” Tlaib retorted.

The tweet came just days after Tlaib was announced as a featured speaker on a Jewish Voice for Peace-sponsored panel on “dismantling anti-Semitism.”