- United States Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House of Representatives for having said, “from the river to the sea.”
- A dangerous precedent is being set for dissenting voices against Israel which may greatly limit the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment right to free speech.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American representative in the United States Congress, has recently voiced her opposition to the state of Israel as having been cited for saying, “from the river to the sea,” during a pro-Palestinian protest at the Capitol. For many Palestinians, these words are a spirited freedom cry for an end to the brutal Israeli occupation that has displaced nearly 3 million people since 1948 and killed thousands of others. However, pro-Israeli pundits have voiced their concerns as this motto may also be interpreted as the end to Israel and all Jews. House Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider commented on Tlaib’s recent remarks by saying, “It is nothing else but the call for the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews.”
More recently, the House voted to censure Rep. Tlaib after a passionate debate on the House floor. Rep. Tlaib was quoted for having said:
“The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent. And it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”
And she’s right. The precedent being set here is that it may become harder for dissenting voices to be heard, which greatly restricts the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment right to free speech. During the debate, Rep. Ilhan Omar brought to the attention of the Chair, Republican Congressman Max Miller’s remarks which contained explicitly genocidal rhetoric against the Palestinian people by saying the Gaza Strip will be “eviscerated” and turned “into a parking lot,” but faced no condemnation from either side of the aisle. A clear double standard was pointed out on the House floor, but it was to no avail. The vote against Rep. Tlaib ended in a 234-188 in favour of censuring the Congresswoman.
While censuring in Congress is nothing more than a public reprimand, it is still the highest punishment for a sitting elected official short of kicking them out of office. Going forward, Rep. Tlaib would need to toe a very fine line as to avoid expulsion from the House, otherwise it would be the end to the only Palestinian representation in the legislature.
