Tlaib steps up anti-genocide message after Israel invades Rafah

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U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib gave a speech in Dearborn in February, urging Democrats to vote “no strings attached” in the presidential primary election to protest President Joe Biden’s support for Israel.

US Representative Rashida Tlaib on Tuesday criticized her colleagues for continuing to send billions of dollars in aid to Israel after the invasion of the vital Rafah border crossing in Gaza.

Tlaib condemned her colleagues and President Joe Biden for sending billions in aid “without any strings attached to respecting human rights.”

Fears are growing that Israel is preparing for a full-scale invasion after its army sent tanks into Rafah and carried out targeted airstrikes in the eastern part of the city on Tuesday to establish control of the Gaza side of the border crossing with the ‘Egypt.

“Many of my colleagues will express their concern and horror at the crimes against humanity that are about to occur, even though they just voted to send (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu billions more in weapons,” Tlaib said in a lengthy statement. “Make no mistake, they consented to these atrocities, and our country is actively participating in the genocide. For months, Netanyahu made clear his intention to invade Rafah, but the majority of my colleagues and President Biden sent more weapons to enable the massacre.

The assault on Rafah came despite Biden’s warning to Israel to avoid a full-scale invasion. The assault on the city threatened to deepen the rift between Biden and Netanhyahu over a potential ceasefire and a strategy to free hostages held by Hamas.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has been a fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Since the start of the war, the Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 34,500 people.

Despite the disproportionate scale of violence perpetrated by Israel, Congress and Biden have provided more than $14 million to the country. More Democrats are now signaling that they will not support additional money for Israel unless certain conditions are met, such as preventing civilian deaths in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Tlaib said, conditions in Gaza are so dire that they have become a “genocide of the Palestinians.”

“There is no safe place in Gaza,” Tlaib said. “Nearly 80% of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed. There is no feasible evacuation plan, and the Israeli government is only trying to provide a false semblance of security in an attempt to maintain legal cover at the International Court of Justice. »

The Detroit Democrat said the funding must stop.

“It is now more clear than ever that we must end all U.S. military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime and demand that President Biden facilitate an immediate and permanent ceasefire that includes a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all hostages. and arbitrarily detained Palestinians,” Tlaib said.

Tlaib also called on the International Court of Justice to “issue arrest warrants against Netanhayu and senior Israeli officials to finally be held accountable for this genocide, as these well-documented violations of the Genocide Convention clearly justify.” under international law.