If Democratic candidate Rashida Tlaib is elected in November, the Michigan primary-winner will become the first Muslim congresswoman in history. She’ll also do something else: “absolutely” vote against a continuance of aid to Israel.
During an interview with the UK’s Channel 4 News, Tlaib was asked if she’d put the kibosh on military assistance to the tiny Middle Eastern state. She responded in no uncertain terms, albeit via a muddled explanation:
“Absolutely, if it has something to do with inequality and not access to people having justice.”
Apparently, she ain’t much for the Jewish homeland:
“U.S. aid should be leverage. If you’re going to be a country that discriminates on somebody solely based on their faith, solely based on their skin color…to me, that doesn’t fit our value of our country.”
Rashida equated Israel’s treatment of so-called Palestinians with American civil rights:
“I will be using my position as a member of Congress to say no country — not one — should be able to get aid from us, the American people, who talk about justice and equality and stopping discrimination, to say a country can come and get aid from us when they still promote that kind of injustice that I saw in Detroit, or in especially in my neighbors who went through the civil rights movement in Detroit and told me how it was to be able to be divided on buses, to be able to go to schools that were not of good quality.”
Huh?
“Those are the kind of things that I think I come with, and that lens that I feel like will change the conversation and will be moving closer to peace when we do talk about that.”
The Democrat received strong criticism just days ago from The Electronic Intifada, a Chicago-based Palestinian publication covering the conflict with Israel. The piece was entitled “Why Does Rashida Tlaib Support US Military Aid to Israel?”
Writer Ali Abunimah pointed to Tlaib’s ties to J Street, an organization he called a “Zionist Israel lobby group,” despite its harsh criticism of the small nation. According to Abunimah, such affiliation proves she can’t be depended upon “to be a strong voice for Palestinian rights.”
The congressional hopeful didn’t much appreciate Abunimah’s assertion, responding with a stated position via Twitter:
.@RashidaTlaib responding (indirectly) to the concerns over her endorsement from @jstreetdotorg, which I raised in my article yesterday. There’s much emotional appeal in her response, but no detailed answers. I’ve written to her with specific questions. I hope she replies. pic.twitter.com/Zj5sHfldqK
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) August 10, 2018
I also wrote about Tlaib last week, regarding her disinterest in making Nancy Pelosi leader of the Democratic Caucus in the event of the Michiganite’s win and the Dems’ takeover of the House (see here). Speaking of Pelosi, please click here to see a great video of her being a nut. Enjoy!
Thank you for reading! What do you think about Rashida Tlaib’s chances of making history as the first female Muslim in Congress? Also, what do you make of her plans to pull the plug on aid to Israel? Please sound off in the Comments section below.
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