Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib slammed Israel’s ‘occupation’ of Gaza and the West Bank, as she wrote that she grieved the lives lost in the violence that followed Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel this weekend.
Tlaib, a third-term Palestinian-American congresswoman, did not specifically condemn the Iranian-backed Palestinian terror group Hamas, who were responsible for the shocking attack that shook Israel Saturday morning.
2,000 rockets were fired into Israeli cities and a ground attack that involved the kidnapping, torture and murder of women, children and the elderly by militant Palestinian terrorists.
‘I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,’ Tlaib wrote in her statement.
‘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.’
Tlaib called Israel an ‘apartheid’ state and criticized the United States for providing ‘billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government.’
While that support continues, she wrote, ‘this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue,’ blaming both the United States and Israel for the actions of Hamas that have left 700 Israelis and counting dead and thousands more injured and missing.
Progressive Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib called for an ending of the Israeli ‘apartheid’ state in the wake of a barrage of Hamas terror attacks in Israel over the weekend
Israelis walk by a blown up police station in Sderot that was destroyed during a battle with Hamas militants who had overtaken the building
‘The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer. No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence. We cannot ignore the humanity in each other,’ she added.
Tlaib has, throughout her time in public office, made controversial remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has previously condemned Israel’s policies about settlements in the West Bank and around the Gaza Strip.
Tlaib is also a member of ‘The Squad,’ comprised of several progressive women in the Democratic Congressional caucus.
Fellow member Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri boycotted Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s joint address to Congress over the summer, and issued a statement Saturday prompting the US to end its support for ‘Israeli military occupation and apartheid.’
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, another Squad member and along with Tlaib one of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress, did identify Hamas in her condemnation of the violence in Israel.
‘I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas.’
‘Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen,’ she wrote.
She also expressed compassion for the people in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
‘Reminder, Gaza doesn’t have shelters or an iron dome and to please pray for them,’ the progressive lawmaker wrote on X (formerly Twitter). ‘May peace prevail in the region and move us towards a moral awakening to care about the human suffering we are seeing. Palestinians are human beings who have been in besieged and are deserving of protection from the international community.’
Some were moved to remind Omar that Hamas, the democratically elected leaders of Gaza, should have considered spending government funding on shelters instead of rockets used to attack Israel.
The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets
Palestinians are greeted by crowds after returning from crossing the border into Israel on Saturday
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Gaza as Israel begins its counteroffensive on October 08, 2023
Israeli forces, dispatched to the border with Gaza in southern Israel, scan the area near Ashdod on October 8, 2023 as the battle against holdout Hamas fighters continues
Rep. Ilhan Omar said ‘violence will only repeat the back and forth’ and called for Israel to stand down
Other Squad members, including Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, called for an ‘immediate ceasefire and de-escalation’ in the region.
‘Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region,’ wrote AOC.
Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley said: ‘These devastating attacks on Israelis are deeply alarming and my heart breaks for the victims & their loved ones. We need an immediate ceasefire & de-escalation. It is long past time to stop this cycle of violence & trauma, and work toward a just & lasting peace in the region.’
Her statement was slammed for dismissing the need for Israel to defend itself.
‘The squad telling Israel to stand down after it was attacked and hundreds of its citizens were massacred,’ responded one X user to the statement.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman said: ‘I strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and am saddened by the loss of precious lives, especially on the holy day of Simchat Torah We need a way to end this deadly violence that is killing and traumatizing generations of Israelis and Palestinians alike — including the blockade of Gaza.’
‘I have been to the Gaza border and know that Israelis and Palestinians are constantly living in fear. We must work harder to ensure peace in the region.’
After the attacks Saturday morning, Hamas took dozens of Israeli civilians hostage
Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on October 8, 2023. Israel, reeling from the deadliest attack on its territory in half a century, formally declared war on Hamas Sunday as the Israeli death toll surged past 700 after the Palestinian militant group launched a massive surprise assault from Gaza
Israeli soldier directs armored vehicles heading towards the southern border with the Gaza strip on October 8, 2023 in Sderot, Israel. The nation is preparing a full blown counteroffensive against the terrorist organization
Conservative radio host Jason Rantz replied: ‘Bowman can’t merely condemn terrorism. He has to include his ignorant criticism of Israel.’
Hamas’ surprise attack on Saturday morning came just one day after the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Yom Kippur War, which saw Israel battle existential threats from hostile neighbors led by Egypt and Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared a state of war and has since promised ‘mighty vengeance’ on Israel’s attackers that will end in victory for his country.
Israeli Defense Forces have begun bombarding key Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip and have issued warnings to civilians in certain regions to leave before a wave of retaliatory attacks begin.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk