U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib held back tears on the House floor on Tuesday while doubling down on her demand for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war — and as both Republicans and Democrats moved to censure her for “antisemitism.”
I am the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, and my perspective is needed here now more than ever. I will not be silenced and I will not let anyone distort my words.
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) November 7, 2023
I’m from Detroit, where I learned to speak truth to power, even if my voice shakes. pic.twitter.com/bXhGPCcKat
“I’m the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, Mr. Chair, and my perspective is needed here now more than ever,” Tlaib said in an impassioned speech following the 213-208 vote to move forward with the motion to censure, a rarely used form of public reprimand one step below expulsion. “I will not be silenced, and I will not let you distort my words.”
She added, “Folks forget I’m from the city of Detroit, the most beautiful, Blackest city in the country, where I learned to speak truth to power, even if my voice shakes.”
While few members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, there is strong grassroots support for it.
“Trying to bully or censure me won’t work, because this movement for a ceasefire is much bigger than one person,” Tlaib said, referring to the massive antiwar rallies that have been held across the world. “It’s growing every single day.”
She added, “They are done watching our government, Mr. Chair, supporting cutting off food, water, electricity, and medical care to millions of people with nowhere to go. Like me, Mr. Chair, they don’t believe the answer to war crimes is more war crimes.”
Wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh scarf, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, Tlaib got emotional when she began to talk about the human toll of the war.
“The refusal of Congress and the Administration to acknowledge Palestinian lives is chipping away at my soul,” she said, adding that more than 10,000 Palestinians are believed to have been killed in Israel’s current siege of Gaza, including many children.
According to the resolution, Tlaib is being censured “for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.” Shortly after the attack, which killed 1,400, Tlaib denounced what she called an “apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,” referring to Israel’s nearly 20-year blockade of Gaza, and the billions of dollars of U.S. aid to Israel that perpetuates “this heartbreaking cycle of violence.”
“My criticism has always been of the Israeli government and Netanyahu’s actions,” she said on the floor. “It is important to separate people and governments, Mr. Chair. No government is beyond criticism. The idea that criticizing the government is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s being used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”
Tlaib also warned that growing islamophobia and antisemitism makes everybody less safe, noting the tragic death of Wadea al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy who was stabbed to death by his family’s landlord in Illinois.
“I can’t believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable,” Tlaib said, her voice trembling with emotion. She took about 15 seconds to regain her composure, while U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who along with Tlaib are the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, comforted her. “We are human beings, just like anyone else.”
Tlaib held up a photo of her grandmother, who lives in the West Bank.
“My Sity, my grandmother, like all Palestinians, just wants to live her life with freedom and human dignity we all deserve,” Tlaib said.
Tlaib reiterated that she is equally concerned about both the loss of Palestinian and Israeli lives in the ongoing conflict.
“Speaking up to save lives, Mr. Chair, no matter what faith, no matter ethnicity, should not be controversial in this chamber,” she said. “The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me. What I don’t understand is why the cries of the Palestinians sound different to you all.”
Tlaib pointed out that a recent poll suggests a majority of Michigan Democrats support a ceasefire.
“You can try to censure me, but you can’t silence their voices,” she said.
The House voted to censure Tlaib late Tuesday, 234-188, with four Republicans voting against and 22 Democrats voting in support of the censure resolution.
This story was updated with additional information about the motion to censure.
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