Photos: Ryan Garza (left) and Jack Gruber ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
WASHINGTON D.C., Oct. 27, 2023 ~ Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14) filed a censure motion Thursday against Democrat U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), claiming she has engaged in “antisemitic activity” related to her criticisms of the Israeli government’s military response on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The ultra conservative Greene also accused Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress, of “sympathizing with terrorist organizations” and “leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex.” The nature of these claims has sparked a counter censure motion from Democrat Vermont Congresswoman Becca Balint for some of Greene’s comments on Jewish people and the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
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(CONTINUED) The insurrection claim refers to Tlaib’s involvement in an Oct. 18 protest organized by groups Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, with about 300 protestors arrested after demonstrating inside the Capitol’s Cannon House Office Building. Tlaib spoke at a rally outside the building but did not enter with the protestors.
Tlaib called Greene’s motion “Islamophobic,” and said it attacks “peaceful Jewish, anti-war advocates.” Greene’s motion is a “privileged” one, meaning the House must act on it within two legislative days, either by voting on it or tabling it.
Greene herself has been accused of antisemitism in the past when she claimed California wildfires were caused by “Jewish space lasers,” compared mask mandates to Jews being forced to wear a Star of David during the Holocaust and spoke at a rally organized by white supremacist Nick Fuentes where attendees seemingly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin while comparing him to Adolf Hitler. She has also drawn criticism for defending Jan. 6 rioters and visiting them in in prison.
The day following the attack from the Oct. 7 attack from Hamas, Tlaib released a statement that said “I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day… The path to that 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.” This response prompted outcry from several Republican and Democrat politicians with accusations that she defended Hamas’s attack.
Since Israel launched its recent retaliatory series of air strikes on Gaza, the death toll has risen to over 7,000 Palestinians, as of Friday morning. Over 1,400 Israelis died in the attacks from Hamas.
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