“Guilty of Genocide” — the sole Palestinian American member of Congress raised a sign during the Israeli leader’s address on Wednesday, which more than 100 U.S. legislators boycotted.
Rep. Rashida Talib protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday. (C-Span screenshot)
By Brett Wilkins
Common Dreams
Following her call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest during his visit to Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib protested the right-wing leader’s Wednesday address before a joint meeting of Congress by holding up a sign reading “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide.”
“They will not erase us. Palestinians exist and we deserve to live. Our presence today will be a reminder that we aren’t going anywhere,” Tlaib (D-MI) said on social media. “I will never back down in speaking truth to power. The apartheid government of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.”
Tlaib — the only Palestinian American member of Congress — brought a guest: Hani Almadhoun, “who has lost over 150 members of his extended family in Netanyahu’s genocide” in Gaza.
Joining me in the chamber today is Hani Almadhoun, who has lost over 150 members of his extended family in Netanyahu’s genocide. After witnessing his sister forced to eat animal feed, he and his family were determined to start a soup kitchen to feed their starving neighbors. pic.twitter.com/H5Wtj2N1Ql
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) July 24, 2024
“After witnessing his sister forced to eat animal feed, he and his family were determined to start a soup kitchen to feed their starving neighbors,” the congresswoman said. “The Israeli apartheid regime is using starvation as a weapon of war, a war crime.”
More than 135 congressional Democrats, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) of Kentucky and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) boycotted Netanyahu’s speech.
“Netanyahu is not only a war criminal. He is a liar,” Sanders said on social media. “All humanitarian organizations agree: Tens of thousands of children face starvation because his extremist government continues to block aid. Israelis want him out of office. So he came to Congress to campaign.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “Just so we’re clear, Netanyahu has lost so many people that he is addressing just a fraction of Congress.”“When this happens, they fill the seats with nonmembers, like what they do at award ceremonies, in order to project the appearance of full attendance and support.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) said on social media:
“I won’t attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech today. His military has reportedly killed over 39,000 Palestinians. He hasn’t brought the hostages home. He hasn’t made Israel any safer. We need tangible actions to end this war and all the suffering — not performative gestures.”
“It’s *because* of my Jewish upbringing and values that I cannot attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address today,” she said.
I will not be attending @Netanyahu's speech to Congress.
I only regret that an arrest warrant for his war crimes has not yet been issued by the ICC, as I would have gladly served it to him on the House floor.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu doesn't stand for peace in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/6mNEfSsrif
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) July 24, 2024
Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) said in statement: “I am boycotting Netanyahu’s address. Today, families of Israeli hostages called the prime minister’s speech a ‘PR stunt’ intended to cover up his own failures.”
“Not only has Netanyahu failed to safely return the hostages — he has killed, harmed, or displaced nearly every Palestinian in Gaza, has failed to keep Israelis safe, and is risking the United States’ own security by trying to drag us into another endless war in the Middle East,” he continued.
“The United States must end unconditional military aid to the Israeli government, and instead secure an immediate cease-fire, a return of the hostages, and long-term peace,” Casar added.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) wished Tlaib a happy birthday in a social media post saying, “To my sister Rashida: You were born for a time like this.”
“The only Palestinian in Congress during a genocide of your people,” he added. “Sitting through a speech of that war criminal as colleagues applaud. You stand strong. We love and honor you.”
Last month, a Palestinian girl survived a missile strike in Gaza. Her brothers died, and she couldn’t get medical care for a month.
Netanyahu is a war criminal. It’s a shame he is addressing our Congress. Our tax dollars should not be spent on killing children. pic.twitter.com/aqkYjCZAnh
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) July 24, 2024
Stephen Miles, president of the peace group Win Without War, said in a statement that “we are grateful to the many, many members of Congress who chose to not attend Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress today.”
“This was a political stunt dreamed up by a House speaker trying to score political points and embraced by the prime minister as a desperate ploy to try and blunt the massive global condemnation and domestic political opposition he faces,” Miles added. “It’s a speech that never should have happened.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also the Senate president, did not preside over Wednesday’s meeting.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in the wake of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race earlier this week, is scheduled to meet privately with Netanyahu on Thursday.
Netanyahu’s speech — which was met with frequent uproarious applause from lawmakers and other attendees — took aim not only at Hamas “monsters,” but also against “Iran’s axis of terror,” which he said “confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends.”
I was there. It was disgusting. https://t.co/CwnS7q1XKo
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 24, 2024
“This is not a clash of civilizations, it’s a clash between barbarism and civilization, between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life,” said the leader of a nation whose armed forces have killed or wounded more than 130,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu condemned what he called the “slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal” that are “meant to demonize the Jewish state and demonize Jews everywhere.”
Taking aim at pro-Palestinian protests across the United States — many of them Jewish-led — Netanyahu lamented that “many anti-Israel protesters choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers.”
“For all we know, Iran is funding the protests that are taking place outside right now,” Netanyahu said, citing unsubstantiated Biden administration claims. “When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting, and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots.”
“Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming, ‘Gays for Gaza,'” he mocked. “They might as well hold up signs that say, ‘Chickens for KFC!'”
“These protesters chant, ‘From the river to the sea,’ but many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about,” the prime minister added.
Hundreds of Jewish-led demonstrators were arrested inside a congressional building on Tuesday while protesting the U.S. government’s continued support for Israel’s assault on Gaza and Netanyahu’s then-forthcoming address.
Thousands more protesters took to the streets of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, where peace groups planned to surround the Capitol. “There is a war criminal in town,” Council on American Islamic Relations’ National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a speech to protesters. “This war criminal Netanyahu has a long history of crimes against humanity.”
Thousands of protesters are currently starting marching in DC towards the Capitol to protest Netanyahu’s visit to Congress today while police are seeming to try to stop the march ?? pic.twitter.com/LattoOSpG6
— Gerard (@GerardDalbon) July 24, 2024
During his speech, Netanyahu also thanked Biden “for his heartfelt support for Israel after the savage attack on Oct. 7,” which the prime minister said was “like 20 9/11s in one day.”
Biden has expressed his “unwavering” support for the key Middle Eastern ally and has approved billions of dollars in new military aid and more than 100 arms sales to the country since October.
The Biden administration has also vetoed several United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Netanyahu implored the U.S. to give even more, saying, “Give us the tools faster, and we will finish the job faster.”
“The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and returns all the hostages,” added the prime minister, who for years facilitated massive financial support for the militant resistance group — whose political arm rules Gaza — in order to weaken the Palestinian National Authority.
On Monday, Tlaib said that Netanyahu should be arrested while in the United States. “Netanyahu is a war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” she argued. “It is utterly disgraceful that leaders from both parties have invited him to address Congress. He should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.”
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has applied for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including extermination committed on and after Oct. 7.
During his speech, Netanyahu accused the ICC of “blood libels” against Israel, saying the tribunal “shamefully accused Israel of deliberately starving the people of Gaza” — allegations echoed by the South Africa-led genocide case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), United Nations experts, and human rights groups.
U.N. World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said in May that there is “full-blown famine” in Gaza, where dozens of Palestinians — mostly children — have died due to malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of medical care, and hundreds of thousands of others are on the brink of starvation.
Netanyahu also accused the ICC of lying about Israeli forces “deliberately targeting civilians,” over 39,000 of whom including 16,000 children have been killed since October.
We visited Rashida’s office to express our love and appreciation for her courage and bravery in standing up for justice in a room filled with evil, hate, and greed. pic.twitter.com/eVV6N1KcTr
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) July 25, 2024
The prime minister claimed that Israel “has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history, and beyond what international law requires.”
“The ICC is trying to shackle Israel’s hands and prevent Israel from defending itself,” Netanyahu said. “And if Israel’s hands are tied, America’s are next.”
“The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled,” he added. “Israel will always defend itself.”
Netanyahu further claimed that civilian casualties during Israel’s recent Rafah offensive were “practically none,” ignoring hundreds of Palestinians including many women and children who died in Israeli attacks on the city and its environs, including multiple massacres of refugees in tent encampments.
Israeli forces “should not be condemned for how they’re conducting the war in Gaza, they should be commended for it,” Netanyahu asserted.
Israel Defense Forces troops have been accused of torturing, raping, and summarily executing Palestinian civilians, including children. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres last month added Israel to his so-called “List of Shame” of countries that kill and injure children during wars and other armed conflicts.
In addition to Israel’s ICC case against key leaders and the ICJ genocide case, the latter tribunal ruled last week in a separate case that the 57-year Israeli occupation of Palestine is an illegal form of apartheid that must end “as rapidly as possible.”
Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
This article is from Common Dreams.
Views expressed in this article and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
Kamala “knows felons because she has prosecuted them”……so…….what does she “know” about Netanyahu? Would a fly on the wall vomit from disgust at hypocrisy during that private conversation? Can’t we just have at least ONE peace candidate? Can’t we have at least ONE anti-genocide candidate? Aren’t we tired of the “lesser evil” and the “more covert form of evil”? How about NO evil? Prove it!
“Don’t drink the water. There’s blood in the water,” i.e., “Rashida Tlaib Sticks It to Netanyahu.” Brett Wilkins
AND, Joesph Robinette Biden “Sticks it to, Universe,”
…… “I’m the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world.” Joseph Robinette Biden 7.24.24
……. “We’ll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage.” Joseph Robinette Biden 7.24.24
……. “We’ll keep NATO stronger, and I’ll make it more powerful and more united than at any time in all of our history. I’ll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific.” Joseph Robinette Biden 7.24.24
……. “[AND, I’M going to KEEP Working TO END the WAR in GAZA] bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war.” Joseph Robinette Biden 7.24.24
“Yap. Yap. Yap about it!” ELEVEN (11) minutes, of Joseph Robinette Biden, Commandeer-N-Plagerism, yell’n about, what a f/fabulous, out of this world, like no f/other, Public $ervant, he is, “My fellow Americans,” yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.
…… “What kinda Statesmanship &/or Diplomacy is that, Joey?”
Regardless, the Divided $tates of Corporate America has been f/fleeced!!! AND, BIDEN-HARRIS & their Party of War, Common Democrats, * “own every despicable aspect of it!!!” NO Doubt, the USG’s “Beast” collectively kicked JRBiden’s ass out the door before Antony could f/Blink…en. The Party of War is in”Fired Up! Ready To Go!!!”
There will be NO Pausing Biden’s-Harris’ propaganda. There will be NO pausing the deception, destruction, death, executed, daily w/Biden’s-Harris’ wholehearted $upport. Bidenomics reigns, “around the world.” Bidenomics “lives.” Biden’s passed the torch to Harris, “We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.” Joseph Robinette Biden 7.24.24.
“TIK. TOK. TIK. TOK.” There will be NO pausing the DNC’s Clock. It’s Joesph Robinette Biden that’s been clocked. It was swift, organized, shielded from being squashed. Begs the questions, “who’s the hunter; and who’s the hunted?”
……… “Koo Koo Ka Chew,” this time, “Uncle $am, wants You,” Joseph Robinette Biden. Buh-Bye!!!
The DNC’s “primary’ is over! Done & Dusted. There will be no more pausing! Comma La Harris, has been coronated, is on tour, makin’ headlines! Stealing & reeling in buck$, by the millions. One thing’s for f/sure, Harris is as skilled as Biden @ catfishing the “world!” Committed to $crewing “the world!!! It’s a redux. Biden-Harris, a Duover w/o the “Big Guy.”
AND, the world “GOT” the Memo: “Fired Up! Ready to Go!!!” Vote Blue No f/Who. NO Malarky, it’s an O$car winning NETflick’s $h*t $how.
A Best Practice, “DON’T DRINK THE WATER. THERE’S BLOOD IN THE WATER.” Ciao.
The congresspersons who boycotted Netanyahu should have shown up and brought the ruckus like AOC promised during her first campaign. Let Mike Johnson try to live up to his vow that they’d be arrested.
We URGENTLY need more people who stand by their convictions and don’t hesitate to let others know. Our so-called ‘politicians’ are nothing but ASS KISSERS!
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “Just so we’re clear, Netanyahu has lost so many people that he is addressing just a fraction of Congress.”“When this happens, they fill the seats with nonmembers, like what they do at award ceremonies, in order to project the appearance of full attendance and support.”
I was not previously aware that this went on in this particular context.
Important to bear this in mind: Seeing should not always mean believing. Images can be manipulated in various ways.
“Tony. Tony. Tony.” Alexandria Oca$io-Cortez aka “AOC,” is a “Crisis” Actor posing as a Congresswoman.”
“Just so we’re clear,” the DNC’s “head hunters” swooped up & groomed Alexandria Oca$io-Cortez aka “AOC,” for HER #1 role, Top $helf, “$chillin’ for the Villains.” The DNC’s Common Democrat, “catfishing” the world, via HER Social Media platform. Sucking up the oxygen. “Banking” on HER “merch.” HER “Chick Filet” knock-off, a White bagged Gown w/Red lettering, “Tax the Rich.”
Imo, the universe has been suckered, duped & screwed by Alexandria Oca$io-Cortez aka “AOC.” IMO, AOC is a tool. A fraud, following, orders, “Go Fish!”
The take-away, “Don’t Get Played.” ‘It may look a lot like it’s happening the way you’re told it is. But take another look.’ 5.12.24, Consortium News @ hxxps://consortiumnews.com/2024/05/12/dont-be-played/
How do you know when Bibi’s lying?
When his lips move.
This wretched organism could well be the antichrist
Interesting how Zelensky and Netanyahu come to the U.S to beg for money and weapons, and the craven, corrupted and degraded politicians in Washington gladly hand them to them!
But in all the “uproarious” applause and adulation shown by these lapdogs to this modern-day Moloch (Natanyahu) there is a seething mass of arrogance, fear and treachery that will be turned against America, once Natanyahu has had its way by getting the U.S. directly, militarily involved in the Middle East. The manipulation of our political representatives and stunning blindness of the common people is truly astonishing.
We are seeing a preview of what America will look like if the Zionist Jews, who are powerfully positioned in the U.S government, pharmaceutical, media, finance, advertising, film, banking, education, television industries, etc. take over this country completely.
But just like the world has woken up to the plight of the Palestinian people–one day, in America–they will wake up to this infernal ideology of Zionism masquerading and using Judaism as a human shield. We will finally wake up to truth and reality.
It is all capitalism.
The chief demon accuses his victims of demonizing Israelis, most of whom in fact support his policy of ‘finishing the job’. The Final Solution to borrow the Nazis term.
His shameless use of accusing those who oppose his genocide as anti Semitic spits on the grave of not just Jews, but the millions of all countries who were killed in WWII.
He represents the phenomenon of internalizing the oppressor. A truly sick person.
The only positive thing is that after 76 years, people are resisting Israeli crimes.
What the US needs is no lobbying and giving money to candidates. AIPAC has an individual for each person in Congress and those members are scared to death to cross the people who own them. Why is that awful little country allowed to own our Congress? ALL funding for candidates should be public funding. If we can support two foreign countries with billions, we can publicly fund our elections.
Rob, I agree with you. Public funding of campaigns would place the priorities of people first. It would separate the wheat from the chaff in the kind of political leaders we could elect. It would set a higher standard for the kind of people that would represent us.
Couldn’t agree more. And while we’re at it, how about term limits for Congress, the Supreme Court, and all other federal judges?
If the majority of American voters understood the depth of the corruption via lobbying, there’d be riots in the streets.
Exactly right! Money out!
Sorry but I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality. Tlaib and some others are getting praise for protesting (all words, no actions) Netanyahu, who they say is committing war crimes in Gaza. Meanwhile their party’s leader Joe Biden, current US president, is the WILLING AND EAGER partner to Netanyahu, committing the EXACT SAME WAR CRIMES through arms transfers, targeting sharing, protection including vetoes, fake delay/distract things like the aid pier, etc.
And yet Biden, who of the two is the one they have power regarding, gets ENDORSEMENTS and campaign photo shoots with some of these same “progressives”. Biden, who depending on procedure, several of them could’ve put forth articles of impeachment for high crimes (action, not words). AOC recently put forth articles on a Supreme Court judge, so we know they can.
Why would anyone praise such “progressives”, who are some combination of spineless, hypocritical, ignorant, and amoral? This makes NO sense to me and I’m baffled who it makes sense to anyone who claims to care about Gaza and claims to want to stop/punish the war crimes being committing against it.
Sorry for length. But imagine an alleged progressive in Israel, a member of the Knesset, who calls what’s happening in Gaza genocide. When Joe Biden comes to town and gives an address, this person holds up a sign and calls him a war criminal who should be arrested. MEANWHILE, this VERY SAME “progressive” takes photo ops with Netanyahu, and endorses him for reelection. And then to complete the analogy, some lefty sites and pundits will actually praise the Israeli politicians’ bravery and ethics. This is exactly what’s happening with our own “progressive” politicians like The Squad.
What is happening here?
I was going to express the same things. Biden directly helps butcher Netanyahu but is completely blameless. Meanwhile, if you’re sitting in a getaway car and your accomplice murders someone, even if you had no idea they were going to do it, you’re likely going to be put away for life. Clearly only the poor, two-bit criminals are held to account in the US! Politicians who kill on a mass scale, even in breach of several US laws, are on the other hand revered. Nauseating.
What’s happening here is that you really don’t have much of a clue about what is really happening so your comment ‘all words, no actions’ about Rashida is pure BS. For example, she is one of the hardest working people in Congress because she introduces (not just supports) many bills to support the causes she believes need much more attention than they usually get and strongly supports (by raising funds to help elect) many people who also support these causes and does the same for many organizations which do.
She is also somewhat selective about her support for the Democratic establishment. Most progressives in the party have a more ‘blue no matter who because blue is always right’ attitude because they depend a lot more than she does on party establishment support (and the support of not-really-all-that-progressive party loyalists) though they often don’t get it because that establishment really doesn’t like serious progressives and the progressive caucus as a whole fairly routinely fails in its occasional attempts to demand that the party move in a more progressive direction on legislation in order to get their votes when they need them. Thus she does help other members of ‘the squad’ survive productively in the not-all-that-supportive Democratic environment and she does tend to follow (with at least some enthusiasm) the ‘lesser evil’ mantra of the Democratic establishment (e.g., when it comes to trashing Trump – that’s an easy one).
So many fairly progressive members of Congress have to walk a fairly fine line in order to be elected as Democrats. Bernie Sanders being an independent has a bit more freedom in this area but still only if he wants to be an actual force for progressive values in the political and electoral arenas: the Democratic establishment needs him to make them look less like complete corporate puppets and he needs them to give him national platforms to try to point out how much better our government could be if we put our shoulders to the wheel.
It’s easy to think you could do better in the political (and mainstream media) environment that progressives occupy in Washington. Why not take a stab at it and see for yourself?
Great post. You said all that was also in my mind. The Democratic Party is a disgusting organisation. I hate all these “progressives” who has no limits in their hypocricy and cruelty.
You’re absolutely right. There is a huge disconnect. Tlaib supports Biden, and now Harris, who will continue the Genocide. Same goes for Sanders and AOC. In effect, then, they support the Genocide. The idea is to condemn Netanyahoo, who is a caricature of the evil that in fact embodies all of Israel–and the US political class, of which they are a part. Tlaib holding up that tiny little sign (what on earth was she doing there at all?) sums up the god-awful performative nature of the Dem Party “progressives.”
Indeed. —-Tlaib sat there with a scowl and her little sign. THAT!? is s’posed to be ‘speaking truth to power’??? No ACT UP! gestures??>—- interrupt the speech —-shout “STOP THE GENOCIDE” —- get arrested —–walk out in disgust. ——– The world needed to see/feel this visceral kinda’ outrage from someone, ANYONE! within our political class. —– not there.
Plus, boycotting the speech and hiding out is the coward’s way. Show up —–one by one, walk out in protest. — Make your opposition to GENOCIDE!! known in real time in a way the whole world can see.
I agree with you about Sanders, AOC, and the other fakers and frauds. But are you sure about Tlaib? According to Politico she did not endorse Biden in 2020, did not endorse him this year, and has not endorsed Harris (so far). Of course she has not endorsed Jill Stein (or Cornell West) either. If she did that then, and only then, would we know that she was genuine.
You want congressional progressives to act in ways that are guaranteed to lose them their seats and any influence they have by virtue of holding them and seem to believe that they can magically win their seats back outside the duopoly (are you totally oblivious to the ludicrous inability of third-party candidates to win national seats in the current century, the only exception perhaps being a few libertarians?). Winning occasional seats as progressive Democrats those who don’t want to be ignored on the sidelines still have the vast majority of corrupt Congresscritters arrayed against them but still manage to get occasional modest coverage by the corrupt MSM and at least help in modest ways to balance the establishment narrative and once in a while influence legislation.
By all means continue to promote progressive values on the Internet and in demonstrations and social media but don’t disparage those who think that doing so in actual government bodies in ways that attract attention without sabotaging any effectiveness they have is also important. Bernie has decades more experience in making modest differences when he can but the rest far less. Rashida is another special case because she works like hell to keep her constituents the principal focus of her work (well, right now, she has temporarily focused on Israel’s genocide and I suspect her constituents forgive her for doing this).
In praise for the congress members that know the difference between truth ,lies and hypocrisy .
I truly find Netanyahu a repugnant individual , that lacks the basic principles that make us human.