Representative Guy Reschenthaler (R-Penn.) issued a statement on December 4 calling for Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) to be removed from all congressional committee assignments over her “disturbing pattern of anti-Semitism.”
The statement, which was provided to the conservative news site Breitbart News, cited Tlaib’s participation in the Americans for Muslims in Palestine (AMP) virtual conference on November 27-29. Reschenthaler called AMP “one of the nation’s most anti-Israel advocacy groups” and alleged that the conference “featured other participants with reported connections to Hamas, terrorism financiers, and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.” Reschenthaler also pointed to Tlaib’s since-deleted November 29 retweet of a tweet stating, “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” as “the latest examples of a deeply disturbing pattern of anti-Semitism that has been on display since she was elected. Yet Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and House Democrats refuse to condemn her heinous behavior.”
He added that the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh is what happens when anti-Semitism is allowed to fester.
“The day after this cowardly act of violence, I stood in solidarity with Americans of all religions, races, and ethnicities at a vigil honoring the victims of this heinous crime, and the first time I ever spoke on the House floor was to denounce hatred and bigotry in all forms,” Reschenthaler said.
The Pennsylvania congressman noted that House Republicans immediately stripped then-Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) from his committee assignments in 2019 after making “inexcusable racist remarks,” referencing when King asked The New York Times when the term white supremacist “became offensive.”
“By failing to act and hold Rep. Tlaib accountable, Pelosi is emboldening her and others to continue spreading and escalating this dangerous, hateful bigotry,” Reschenthaler said. “It is past time we show the American people that there is no place in Congress, or anywhere, for this shameful intolerance. I call on my colleagues across the aisle to join me in calling for Rep. Tlaib to immediately lose her committee assignments.”
The Stop Antisemitism.org watchdog thanked Rescenthaler for his statement.
“Thank you @GReschenthaler for standing against #antisemitism & radical Jew hating bigots like Tlaib,” the Jewish group tweeted. “We all know what the #FreePalestine movement entails – nothing to do with assisting Palestinians & EVERYTHING to do w/the full erasure of the Jewish state.”
Thank you @GReschenthaler for standing against #antisemitism & radical Jew hating bigots like Tlaib
We all know what the #FreePalestine movement entails – nothing to do with assisting Palestinians & EVERYTHING to do w/the full erasure of the Jewish state https://t.co/VTFxOEdMJV
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 6, 2020
A Twitter user named AdinaZ tweeted that Reschenthaler is so far “the only congressperson calling out @RashidaTlaib for her persistent antisemitic comments. Has anyone else in Congress said anything?”
So far, it appears that @GReschenthaler is the only congressperson calling out @RashidaTlaib for her persistent antisemitic comments. Has anyone else in Congress said anything?
— AdinaZ 🇺🇸🇮🇱🤌🏼 #JusticeForMalkiRoth🪬⚖️ (@lackboys3) December 7, 2020
Some, such as writer Peter Beinart, have defended Tlaib, arguing that she “has been clear that Jews + Palestinians deserve equality. Suggesting otherwise is a smear.”
I get why many Jews find slogan "Palestine from River to Sea" frightening. Some have used it to disregard Jewish rights (1st Hamas charter, for instance). But @RashidaTlaib has been clear that Jews + Palestinians deserve equality. Suggesting otherwise is a smear https://t.co/2YXZCdcbV7
— Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) December 1, 2020
