During his State of the Union speech in March, all the Democrats in Congress, as is customary, continued to stand up to applaud Joe Biden’s remarks. All except Rashida Tlaib, the representative from Michigan, and a handful of elected officials wearing Palestinian keffiyehs who remained seated to protest against the United States’ support for Israel. Since the start of the war in Gaza, the only member of Congress of Palestinian origin has spearheaded the opposition to the Jewish state. She accuses President Biden and his fellow Democrats of being responsible for “genocide” by sending weapons to Israel. And requests an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice against Benyamin Netanyahu. In February, during the Democratic primaries in Michigan, she called for a blank vote as a sign of dissatisfaction with Joe Biden’s pro-Israel policies. More than 100,000 voters followed his instructions! However, in November, this type of abstentionism could tip this swing state in the Trumpist camp.
She is the bane of pro-Israel people
The eldest of 14 children in a family of Palestinian immigrants, Rashida Tlaib studied law before being elected in 2008 to the local congress in Michigan, then winning a seat in the House of Representatives ten years later. She quickly stood out for her outspokenness and very left-wing positions. This divorced mother of two children became the bane of pro-Israel people after the October 7 attack. They accuse him of not condemning Hamas enough and of calling “for the dismantling of the apartheid regime”. At the beginning of November, on “of the river [NDLR : le Jourdain] to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a slogan considered as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state.
For the House Republicans, this is too much: they are launching a censure procedure. A rare and serious disciplinary measure reserved for extreme cases. Rashida Tlaib, visibly very moved, justifies herself in a speech: “We are human beings,” she declares, brandishing a photo of her grandmother, residing in the West Bank. “What I don’t understand is why the cries of the Palestinians don’t have the same resonance for you,” adds the Michigan representative who, following death threats, travels with bodyguards. While many Democrats defend it, 22 of them vote with the Republicans to censure it.
“I will not be silenced”
The pro-Palestinians, mostly young and very left-wing, remain a minority in Congress. “They did not gain more influence, but they succeeded in generating more critical debate on Israel’s actions,” said Professor Michael Kazin, a specialist in the Democratic Party at Georgetown University. As the humanitarian crisis worsens, divisions deepen in the Biden camp. “The attacks against the Israeli government are intensifying,” continues Professor Kazin. “Nearly the majority of elected Democrats are in favor of a ceasefire and want a firmer president.” Which reflects the opinion of their voters. According to a poll, only 32% of them say they are in favor of delivering weapons to Israel, a drop of 15 points since October.
However, Congress continues to support the administration’s policy as a whole. In April, the House voted for $26 billion in military and humanitarian assistance to the Jewish state. Only 37 Democrats, out of 213, opposed it. “In one sense, it’s a lot,” notes Shadi Hamid, professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary. “Voting against aid to Israel used to be extraordinarily risky.” On the other hand, he acknowledges, “37 seems a low number” for “such a brutal and unpopular war.” The pro-Israel lobby is mobilizing to torpedo the re-election next November of opponents of the Netanyahu government by financing rival candidates. Rashida Tlaib, whose district includes a high percentage of Arab Americans, appears to have no serious opponent, and has benefited from an influx of donations since she was censured. “I will not be silenced,” she said in the House.
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