Movement to Remove Tlaib from all Congressional Committees Gains Momentum

Be Counted For Israel is urging Americans to call Democratic Congressional representatives to remove Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) from all congressional committees in the wake of her recent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric

At the bottom of this article, you will see recommended actions to take in addition to important contact numbers of Congressional members.

(INN)Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) is urging his colleagues “across the aisle” to join him in calling for the immediate removal of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) from all congressional committees in the wake of her recent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric, Breitbart News reports.

In response to Tlaib’s recent participation in an anti-Israel conference with purported terrorist ties as well having recently retweeted a slogan calling for the elimination of the Jewish State, the Western Pennsylvania Republican sought to garner support from fellow congressmen for his proposal.

“This week, Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib participated in a forum led by one of the nation’s most anti-Israel advocacy groups that featured other participants with reported connections to Hamas, terrorism financiers, and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,” Reschenthaler told Breitbart News in a statement.

“Rep. Tlaib’s participation in this conference, coupled with her recently deleted retweet of a slogan calling for the elimination of Israel, are just the latest examples of a deeply disturbing pattern of anti-Semitism that has been on display since she was elected. Yet Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats refuse to condemn her heinous behavior,” he added.

“As a Member of Congress representing southwestern Pennsylvania, I have seen firsthand what happens when we stand by and allow anti-Semitism and intolerance to pervade our communities. In 2018, eleven Jewish worshippers were killed and six others were wounded at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. 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,” said Reschenthaler.

Criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he said, “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 concluded by urging his fellow congressmen on both sides of the political divide to join him promptly in calling for Tlaib’s dismissal from her committee assignments.

The statement came after Tlaib removed from her Twitter feed a retweet that said “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” following criticism of her retweeting the phrase.

Tlaib is no stranger to controversy surrounding Israel, as she has several times caused uproars with anti-Israel statements.

She claimed in an interview last year that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel “provided” a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

In addition, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, Tlaib replied, “Absolutely.”

In May, Tlaib tweeted an acknowledgement of Nakba Day, a day commemorated by Palestinian Arabs to mark what they call the “catastrophe” of the establishment of the State of Israel.

More recently, she came under fire for a series of tweets criticized as being anti-Semitic.

When commenting on the nomination of Tony Blinken as Secretary of State, Tlaib wrote, “So long as he doesn’t suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu’s racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice.”

A day later she tweeted, “Sec. Pompeo has moved to suppress BDS, a peaceful protest movement protected by the 1st Amendment. I hope that Mr. Blinken and President-Elect Biden’s Administration will change course from Trump’s State Department & not target or suppress support of Palestinian human rights.”

Last summer, Israel announced it would bar entry to Tlaib and fellow Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar over their support for BDS.

Be Counted For Israel Campaign to Remove Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from all Comitees 

TAKE TWO MINUTES TO ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL

URGE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMEN TO REMOVE TLAIB FROM ALL CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

 

SCRIPT TO USE OR ADAPT:   I am writing /calling you to urge you and your Democratic colleagues to take action to remove Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from all Congressional committees for her history of anti-Semitic statements. On November 29^th, the Congresswoman retweeted the anti-Semitic slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free”, which is universally understood as a call for the destruction of the State of Israel, and its replacement by a Palestinian state within its borders, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is only the most recent example of her blatant anti-Semitism. While the Democratic Party claims to be against anti-Semitism, it is time for it to show that the party means what it says, by taking action. We urge you and your colleagues to join Republican Congressman Guy Reschenthaler’s recent call to have Tlaib removed from all Congressional Committees.

CONTACTS:

Representative: Gregory Meeks (D-5^th), 202 225-3461, meeks.house.gov, twitter gregorymeeks,

Representative: Grace Meng  (D-6^th), 202 225-2601, meng.house.gov, twitter repgracemeng, District Office: Flushing 718 358-6364, Forest Hills: 718 358-6364

Representative Tom Suozzi (D-3^rd), 202 225-3335, suozzi.house.gov, twitter reptomsuozzi, District Office: 718 631-0400

Representative Kathleen Rice (D-4^th), 202 225-5516, kathleenrice.house.gov, twitter repkathleenrice, District office: Garden City 1 516 739-3008

Representative Velazquez (D-7^th) 202 225-2361, Velazquez.house.gov twitter nydiavelazquez, District Office: Brooklyn 718 599-3658, New York 212 619-2606

Representative Nadler (D-10^th) 202 225-5635, Nadler.house.gov twitter repjerrynadler, District Office Broklyn: 718 373-3198

Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-8^th) 202 225-5936, Jeffries.house.gov, twitter repjeffries, District Offices: 718 373-0033, 718 237-2211

Representative Carolyn Maloney 202 225- 7944, Maloney.house.gov, twitterrepmaloney, District Office Manhattan 212 860-0606, Queens 718 932-1804

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-12^th) 202 225-4965, Pelosi.house.gov, twitter: nancypelosi, District Office: San Francisco 415 556-4862

For all other Representatives, call 202 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Congressional Representative.

 

 

BACKGROUND AND FURTHER TALKING POINTS: On November 29^th Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan retweeted the slogan, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” which is commonly understood as a call for the annihilation of the State of Israel, and its replacement with a Palestinian State from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. These calls for the eradication of the Jewish Homeland and its replacement with a Palestinian State are universally recognized as flagrant anti-Semitism and calls for violence against Israel and its citizens. We call on our Democratic Congressmen and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to begin the process of censuring and removing Tlaib from committees, for her anti-Semitic tweet and for violating House Resolution 183, passed last year in response to Representative Omar’s anti-Semitic statements. H.Res 183 condemns anti-Semitic acts and statements as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States. Further, we call on Speaker Pelosi to pass the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, H.R. 4009 that for two years Pelosi and the Democratic Party have not even called to the floor for a vote. This is not the first time Tlaib has publicly espoused anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist views, including stating that she receives a “calm feeling” when thinking about the Holocaust. Tlaib also supports the anti-Semitic BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement that also seeks the destruction of the State of Israel. While the Democratic Party claims to be against anti-Semitism, it is time that it takes concrete actions to support its claim. We therefore call upon everyone to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi and their Democratic Representatives to condemn Tlaib and to support Congressman Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, who has already called for Tlaib’s immediate removal from Congressional Committees.