Rashida Tlaib gets unlikely support amid censure pressure

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has received unlikely support from Republican Representative Ken Buck on Tuesday, amid attempts to censure her for comments related to the Israel-Hamas war.

On October 7, Hamas launched thousands of missiles into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. Israel subsequently launched its own rockets into Gaza, also cutting off supplies of water, food and electricity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is at war with Hamas, launching a ground operation in Gaza.

As of Tuesday, 10,300 people have been killed in Gaza, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. An estimated 1,400 have been killed in Israel, according to figures from AP.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, posted a video to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday asking for President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, for which the congresswoman and other progressive members of the House have been pushing.

Tlaib received criticism for her post, which featured a video with the chant, “from the river to the sea.” The phrase has different meanings for different groups.

The Anti-Defamation League describes the chant as a “call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state.” Tlaib calls the chant an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” she wrote in a post on X.

While speaking on the House floor Tuesday, Buck, a Colorado Republican, defended Tlaib’s right to speak, saying: “To compare a modern democracy with a repressive terrorist state is wrong, but it is also wrong for Congress to take this action at a time when we have serious issues that we face,” Buck said. “To take an action and take down the words, to strike the words, to censure a fellow member, no matter how incorrect we believe she may be, is wrong.”

“We lower ourselves when we try to take action against someone else for their words, Buck continued. “We all go back to our districts and thank goodness social media hasn’t caught every one of us with everything that we say back in our districts, because we would all be standing here.”

“This is a wrong time to do this, it is the wrong action to take. Let’s pass a resolution condemning this kind of language, condemning antisemitism on college campuses and elsewhere, but it is absolutely wrong to vote for this motion,” Buck concluded.

A Democratic motion to table the censure resolution against Tlaib on Tuesday failed on the House floor by a vote of 208-213-1, according to Jake Sherman, founder of Punchbowl News.

A vote to move forward on censuring Tlaib advanced on Tuesday, according to AP. Representative Rich McCormick, a Georgia Republican, proposed the resolution on Monday, in response to Tlaib’s “antisemitic and racist actions.”

Newsweek has reached out to the offices of Tlaib and Buck via email for additional comment on Tuesday.

Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek, “Buck’s decision to oppose the censure of Rashida Tlaib is a bold move that could alienate some of his fellow Republicans as it’s viewed as a betrayal. But, it could also boost his reputation among moderate voters and independents who appreciate his willingness to stand up for free speech.”

Agranoff added, “His opposition is a sign that he is willing to break with party orthodoxy. This could make him a more attractive candidate to voters who are looking for a Republican who is not afraid to think for himself.”

On Monday, Tlaib released a statement regarding the censure effort, saying in part, “It’s a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 10,000. Many of them have shown me that Palestinian lives simply do not matter to them, but I still do not police their rhetoric or actions.”

“Rather than acknowledge the voice and perspective of the only Palestinian American in Congress, my colleagues have resorted to distorting my positions in resolutions filled with obvious lies. I have repeatedly denounced the horrific targeting and killing of civilians by Hamas and the Israeli government, and have mourned the Israeli and Palestinian lives lost,” Tlaib continued.