Democratic Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib continues to spout misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East, this time refusing to accept that Hamas was responsible for bombing a hospital in the Gaza strip that left roughly 500 dead.
Hamas has pointed to the Israel Defense Force as the one responsible for bombing the facility, but the IDF has denied the accusations. U.S. intelligence has supported the IDF’s claims, saying that intelligence points to a small off-shoot jihadist group that supports Hamas as the entity responsible for the blast, which occurred due to a misfired missile.
Tlaib has refused to budge on the matter, saying that she supports an independent investigation into the bombing.
“Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health,” Tlaib told Haaretz, an Israeli news outlet.
“I cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact, especially in light of confirmation from the World Health Organization that Israel has bombed numerous medical facilities in Gaza and reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of ongoing threats from the Israeli military to evacuate hospital,” she added, as she also accused the Israeli and U.S. governments of having “long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes.”
She also reiterated her call for a ceasefire in the region which she called an “urgent need” in order to “save innocent civilian lives.”
Tlaib has continued to display the Palestinian flag – notably different from the one used by Hamas – outside her office in Congress, as a testament to her ethnicity. Some lawmakers have objected to the gesture, prompting a resolution from Republican Ohio Representative Max Miller looking to ban the display of all foreign flags in Congress.
“The halls of Congress belong to America. They should be reserved for flags that embody our great nation. The Palestinian flag should not have a place here,” Miller said in a statement posted online.
Tlaib’s staunch support of Palestine and condemnation of Israel have also prompted a number of proposals from other lawmakers who seek censure for the Michigan representative. Fellow Michigan representative Jack Bergman, a Republican, said that Tlaib should face censure from the House over “her antisemitism and disgraceful response” to the October 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel that saw thousands of civilians dead, including women and children. Another Republican, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, has also filed a similar resolution recently, seeking censure for Tlaib.
Another member of Congress, Democratic Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz, who is Jewish, said that a censure of Tlaib is “something that everyone should consider” once a speaker has been elected. Republicans only recently managed to agree to elect Republican Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson as the newest Speaker of the House, after weeks of bickering among themselves. Some lawmakers reportedly received death threats over the matter.
“This is about U.S. intelligence. This is about U.S. information. This is about not willing to trust the Biden administration and U.S. intelligence, but instead continuing to pretend like the Ministry of Health out of Gaza is nothing other than a terrorist organization telling people what we want to hear,” Moskowitz said, adding that he was disappointed in a number of fellow Democrats in Congress who continue to believe in “propaganda to the 10th degree,” and eschew established facts.
“Any member of Congress who continues to trust Hamas’ information over U.S. information is obviously deeply concerning,” the lawmaker said.
Tim Ramos has written for various publications, corporations, and organizations – covering everything from finance, politics, travel, entertainment, and sports – in Asia and the U.S. for more than 10 years.
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