Several Democratic members of Congress received considerable criticism from conservatives following their statements regarding the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. The wave of attacks has killed at least 600 people, including at least four Americans.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a member of the Democratic “Squad” of left-wing members, released a statement following the attacks. She said that she “grieve[d] the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today and every day.”
However, she did not specifically condemn the Hamas attack, writing that the path toward “peace” was one including “lifting the blockade, ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 as part of an attempted peace overture. “The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation and apartheid makes no one safer.”
She said that “as long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) blames Israel for the Palestinian terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds
Tlaib, who is Palestinian, does not condemn the attacks and calls for the U.S. to defund Israel pic.twitter.com/Llc4Lsrns8
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) October 8, 2023
Earlier this year, Tlaib criticized Israel as an “apartheid state” on the House floor.
Other members of the “Squad,” including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) called for a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas.
The criticism of the members of “the Squad” also comes after the criticism of the Biden White House for a deal that sent about $6 billion to Iran. The Biden administration announced that it would transfer funds seized due to sanctions on Iran to the Islamic Republic in exchange for a number of Americans held hostage.
Iran is the chief backer of the Hamas terrorist group, as well as a number of other similar organizations around the region.
Furthermore, the Biden administration has been engaged in negotiations to potentially restart the Iran nuclear deal canceled by the Trump administration. This, if put into effect, would likely lift a number of sanctions on a nation the State Department considers a prime sponsor of terrorism.
