Rashida Tlaib Pleads For Donations After Being Censured

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's campaign has made a fundraising appeal after being censured over her comments about Israel.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to censure the Democrat from Michigan and the only Palestinian American in Congress by 234 votes to 188 over her remarks about the Israel-Hamas war. Tlaib sparked criticism last week by defending the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and urged lawmakers to join her in calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Nearly two dozen Democrats joined Republicans in the vote to censure Tlaib, while four Republicans voted against it, including Representative Ken Buck of Colorado.

Following the vote, Tlaib's campaign sent an email calling for donations, as seen by Newsweek.

It said: "I am the only Palestinian American serving in Congress. My perspective is needed here now more than ever.

"But last night, the House voted to censure me in an attempt to silence and intimidate our movement for peace. It's a shame my colleagues are more focused on silencing me than they are on saving lives, as the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000 people.

"I told them they can censure me, but they can't silence the voices of the majority of Americans who support a ceasefire now. Our movement is growing every single day."

With a link to donate to her campaign, the email added: "Donate today to stand up to those who seek to silence us as we work to ensure no one has to suffer or live in fear of violence."

Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Tlaib via email on Tuesday for comment.

On October 7, Hamas launched a huge surprise attack on southern Israel. Israel subsequently declared war on Hamas, carrying out extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive while also cutting off supplies of water, food and electricity.

As of Wednesday, more than 10,000 people have died in Gaza since the war started, the Associated Press reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. At least 1,400 people have died in Israel, the AP said, and Hamas has taken over 200 hostages.

The phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is contentious, as it allegedly implies advocating for the dismantling of the Jewish state, as it references the Jordan River on Israel's eastern border and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

The Anti-Defamation League describes the chant, which has been used recently in pro-Palestine demonstrations, as "an antisemitic slogan" as it "den[ies] the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland."

Others, like Tlaib, deny that the chant amounts to hate speech. The Michigan representative called the chant an "aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate."

"I will not be silenced, and I will not let you distort my words," Tlaib said in the House after using the phrase on X, formerly Twitter. "No government is beyond criticism. 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."

She also said she had condemned the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens several times, and she has in the past called the war a "genocide" of Palestinians.

Update 11/09/23, 4:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated with quotes from the fundraising email.

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