Rashida Tlaib hits out at fellow US legislators for Israel support
The Palestinian American congresswoman has called on her colleagues to listen to their constituents and end unconditional aid to Israel.
Recent public opinion polls have shown growing US public discontent with Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, but Congress remains staunchly supportive of Israel on a bipartisan basis.
“Americans serving in Congress, wake up because the American people are telling you over and over again: ‘We’re not in support of this’,” Tlaib told reporters outside the US Capitol.
“So maybe for once, would you listen to your constituency? Poll them like you poll everything else. They will tell you they do not want one goddamn freaking dime going to starve a whole people.”
Tlaib appeared to criticise a vote by her progressive ally Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez against a measure to stop $500m in missile defence aid to Israel.
Ocasio-Cortez argued that cutting off “defensive” arms to Israel does not help end the bombardment of Palestinians.
But Tlaib suggested she is not swayed by that justification. “No matter what weapons – I don’t care if it’s offensive or defensive, whatever you call it – let’s stop enabling the genocide,” Tlaib said.
The US provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance annually despite allegations of rights violations that would make the country ineligible for security aid under US law. United Nations experts and leading rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib speaks alongside Palestinian rights advocates at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 24
‘Stop funding a genocide,’ army veteran tells US officials
Josephine Guilbeau, a US Army veteran, has delivered an impassioned rebuke of Israel’s starvation policy against Palestinians during a news conference outside the US Capitol.
“I have been screaming, as a conservative Christian, to my Republican leaders to stop funding a genocide,” she said.
“But what I am witnessing this week [is] the forced starvation of babies. They are not allowing baby formula to reach babies. The level of evil that it takes to make a decision to starve a baby as a means of war, as a weapon of war – what have we come to as a humanity? What have we come to as a country?”
Guilbeau told Al Jazeera separately that she is encouraged that more conservative figures in US politics are speaking out against Israeli atrocities.
She said the “tide is definitely turning” on the right to oppose unconditional support for Israel.
US Army veteran and Palestinian rights advocate Josephine Guilbeau outside the US Capitol, Washington, DC
