Whereas, The country of Israel was viciously and heinously attacked on October 7, 2023, by Hamas, a United States-designated foreign terrorist organization. Thousands of rockets fired from Gaza fell on Israeli buildings indiscriminately, killing people in their homes and places of work. Armed terrorists on motorcycles engaged in a massive door-to-door slaughter of civilians. Hamas militants stormed Israeli beaches by motorboat. Paragliders descended upon a music festival, where Hamas terrorists mowed down hundreds of attendees with gunfire in the biggest civilian massacre in Israeli history; and
Whereas, The casualties inflicted by this attack have been horrendous. More than 1,400 people were savagely murdered in the October 7 attacks, including at least 33 Americans, making it the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Approximately 240 innocent people have been taken hostage by Hamas, including senior citizens, people with disabilities, and 33 children, including a 9-month-old baby; and
Whereas, United States Representative Rashida Tlaib, elected to serve Michigan’s 12th Congressional District in the 118th Congress, has responded to these terrorist attacks in an insensitive and inappropriate fashion. Representative Tlaib refused to condemn Hamas in her initial response to the October 7 attacks. In the wake of an explosion at a Gaza hospital, Representative Tlaib irresponsibly shared Hamas propaganda blaming Israel, despite U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Israel was not responsible for the blast. She has even defended the use of the Hamas rallying cry, “from the river to the sea,” which calls for the eradication of the Israeli state and the Jewish people. The Anti-Defamation League calls this phrase antisemitic and says it has the effect of making members of the Jewish community feel unsafe and ostracized. This is only the latest in a long line of anti-Israel and antisemitic comments made by Representative Tlaib, including calling Israel an “apartheid government”; and
Whereas, Representative Tlaib’s hurtful comments and behavior have been widely condemned by people of multiple faiths and elected officials from both parties. Her statements have caused great pain for untold numbers of Michiganders, including many of the over 87,000 Jewish Americans and 2,5000 Israeli citizens who call this state home; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we call on United States Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to resign her office.
Co-sponsored by Sens.
Referred to the Committee on Government Operations
