THE US House voted on Tuesday (7) to censure Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib, Congress’s lone Palestinian-American lawmaker, for comments she made regarding Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Twenty-two Democrats joined with most Republicans in the chamber to censure Tlaib for allegedly “promoting false narratives” on Hamas’ Oct. 7 gun rampage in Israel and “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”
The motion was sponsored by Republican representative Richard McCormick. The final vote tally in the Republican-controlled chamber was 234-188 in favour of censure. Four Republicans voted against the motion, while three Democrats and one Republican abstained.
Tlaib has repeatedly condemned Hamas’s assault, which killed some 1,400 people, while also criticising US support for Israel as the country’s military retaliates with bombardment that has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
The measure specifically cited a video Tlaib published on social media containing the phrase “from the river to the sea,” a pro-Palestinian rallying cry that is viewed by many Jews as antisemitic and calling for Israel’s eradication.
She also enraged many fellow Democrats on Friday (3) when she posted a video accusing president Joe Biden of supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people.” Israel vehemently rejects accusations of genocide.
Tlaib rejected accusations of antisemitism during a speech on the House floor on Tuesday.
“I am the only Palestinian-American in Congress, and my perspective is needed more than ever,” Tlaib said.
“My criticism has always been of the Israeli government and (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s actions… The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent,” Tlaib said.
“Palestinian people are not disposable,” Tlaib added, taking a long pause as she became overcome with emotion. Her grandmother lives in a village in the occupied West Bank, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.
Representative Pete Aguilar, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, told reporters that while he “strenuously disagreed” with Tlaib’s remarks about Biden, he believed the censure motion was not productive.
The symbolic rebuke has no specific punishment. Although it was previously a rare measure used against members, it has become increasingly common in recent years.
Democrats censured Republican representative Paul Gosar in 2021 for posting an animated video that depicted his character murdering Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Republicans censured Democrat Adam Schiff for his work investigating former president Donald Trump while he was in power.
(Reuters)
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images