Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said on Monday that he would support a censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over her “misinformation” about a Gaza hospital bombing sparked by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Mr. Moskowitz, who is Jewish, also expressed his disapproval of Ms. Tlaib’s defense of the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”—a call for Israel to be wiped off the map.
“If a censure comes on her misinformation on the hospital bombing, which obviously we know was not true that she continued to spread even after intelligence came out it wasn’t true, and on ‘From the river to the sea,’ I would support that censure,” he said.
More than 500 people were killed in the hospital blast. Hamas publicly attributed the attack to an Israeli military strike, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after reviewing the blast denied the allegation.
The IDF said the blast was more likely the result of an errant rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the White House confirmed that its assessment showed Israel was not to blame for the attack.
Tlaib Responds to Censure Resolutions
In response to the censure resolutions, Ms. Tlaib said that her critics should focus on saving civilian lives in the Middle East rather than “silencing” her. She emphasized that the death toll in Gaza has topped 10,000.
“Rather than acknowledge the voice and perspective of the only Palestinian American in Congress, my colleagues have resorted to distorting my positions in resolutions filled with obvious lies,” she said in a statement on Nov. 6.
“I have repeatedly denounced the horrific targeting and killing of civilians by Hamas and the Israeli government, and have mourned the Israeli and Palestinian lives lost.”
Ms. Tlaib also said in the video “we will remember in 2024” before text appears, stating: “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, also took issue with Ms. Tlaib’s use of the terrorist slogan.
“This phrase means eradicating Israel and Jews. Period. Dressing it up in a new PR ploy won’t change that,” she stated on X.
Ms. Wasserman-Schultz said that “only a return of hostages, eliminating Hamas and liberating Gaza from oppressive terror will save civilian lives” and secure peace.
Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the lone Jewish member of Michigan’s congressional delegation, said on social media that the phrase promotes “division and violence” and is “counterproductive to promoting peace.”
“If I knew that a phrase I’d used had hurt any of my constituents, I would apologize and retract it, no matter its origin,” Ms. Slotkin said. “I’d ask the same from you.”
