House Republican leaders called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to “take action” against Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Sunday after Tlaib said that thinking about the Holocaust gave her “kind of a calming feeling” in part because in its aftermath, the Palestinians helped create “a safe haven for Jews.”
Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to Congress, made the comments while discussing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians during an appearance on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery.”
“There’s always kind of a calming feeling, I tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said on the podcast’s most recent episode, published Friday.
“And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. And, I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways, but they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them.”
President Trump took to Twitter Monday morning to blast Tlaib for her “tremendous hatred of Israel and the Jewish people”
Democrat Rep. Tlaib is being slammed for her horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust. She obviously has tremendous hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. Can you imagine what would happen if I ever said what she said, and says?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019
“There is no justification for the twisted and disgusting comments made by Rashida Tlaib just days after the annual Day of Holocaust Remembrance,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a statement. “More than six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust; there is nothing ‘calming’ about that fact.
“Unfortunately, this is far from the first display of heinous anti-Semitic comments coming from Democrat House members this year, and it’s clear this is now the norm for their caucus,” Scalise added. “It’s long past time for Speaker Pelosi to take swift action and make it clear that these vile comments have no place in Congress.”
House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Tlaib’s comments were “sickening” and called on Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., “to finally take action against Representative Tlaib and other members of the Democratic caucus who are spreading vile anti-Semitism.”
“Once again, Republican leaders and right-wing extremists are spreading outright lies to incite hate,” Tlaib spokesman Denzel McCampbell said in a statement Sunday night.
“Congresswoman Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself for using the tragedy of the Holocaust in a transparent attempt to score political points. Her behavior cheapens our public discourse and is an insult to the Jewish community and the millions of Americans who stand opposed to the hatred being spread by Donald Trump’s Republican party.”
Tlaib responded to the criticism, saying Republicans were twisting her words to create “vile attacks” on her:
Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 13, 2019
A Democratic leader demanded an APOLOGY to Tlaib.
“If you read Rep. Tlaib’s comments, it is clear that President Trump and Congressional Republicans are taking them out of context,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland. “They must stop, and they owe her an apology.”
“Obviously I don’t think that she hates Israel or hates Jews,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan, on Fox News. “She’s not a hateful person. She’s not a bigoted person.”
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31 Responses
I demand they we sign a petition yo have a recount of her election.
Wait a second. Yes she is a staunch advocate for her people the Palestinians, nothing wrong with that. And yes, in 1948 tens of thousands of them had to flee to refugee camps where they still lead a miserable life, nothing wrong with standing up for that. That is not anti-semitism.
So, she used the word ‘calming feeling’ which is totally out of context, so what? Just look a line further down and see that she says “post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world” – that can’t be labeled “henieous and vile anti-Semitic comments”.
Let us be clear, Tlaib is no friend of the Jews and hates Israel, but this statement is hardly anti-semitic. To scream anti-semitism at this piece makes cheap of serious racism and a mockery of real anti-semitism.
Beautiful. Now we finally have clear living proof how one can never believe anything the A-rabs say or print. Thank you tlaib.
there were a few Arab families that help Jews; I have met these Jewish families and they told me personally about it. However the majority of Arabs were hostile to Jews.
Similar to the goyim in Poland or Ukraine there were a few that helped Jews while the majority did not….
Talibs YM”SH one-state (final)”solution”
Big deal, the stupid yidin will still be voting Democrat because they think Democrats are the best for their wallet.
Tlaib’s comments are a bundle of malicious nonsense unrelated to any facts. Republicans are fine with bundles of nonsense unrelated to any facts – e.g., the Mueller report is a complete exoneration of Trump and his administration – when they support their unsupportable beliefs.
Palestinians who were Ottoman subjects joined Hitler to kill Jews,
Her ancestors did not provide a safe haven for the Jews. On the contrary. Her ancestors’ violence caused the British to cut off Jewish immigration before the War. And after the War her ancestors did their level best to murder every single Jewish refugee who made it home.
Lakewhut, in 1939 there were no Ottoman subjects!
Huju,
Trump collided with the Russians 🙄
*colluded
The grand mufti of Jerusalem was waiting for hitler with open arms. Yidden were fasting in eretz Yisroel. It was a miracle the dessert fox did not reach Israel. Tlaib should review her
History.
TheMIr: Bravo! At least you are the sane voice here amongst the dullards
Milhouse, Arabs from israel joined
Just like trump to flip this into all being about himself.
chareidi amiti, we all know that you prefer Jew-haters like Rashida Tlaib over Trump.
this is a result of a UN education
It’s time for Mashiach to come the gate is getting worse every day
TheMir time to learn your own history. Like it was said many times before the arabs in Eretz Yisroel not only welcomed us but attacked us, Hebron massacre etc. I guess distorting the truth and adding lies is not anti semetic in your eyes. She is a vile and evil person who wants to rewrite history.
TheMir, coming to the defense of a Hamas supporter.
And chareidi Amiti, what was Tlaib doing it exactly for? Get a brain.
rabbiofberlin & TheMIr you are probably arabs or netura-cata. You can’t be an authentic Jew with these statements. If you are authentic Jews, the your Neshama comes from the airev-rav.
rabbiofberlin & TheMIr you are probably arabs or netura-carta. You can’t be an authentic Jew with these statements. If you are authentic Jews, then your Neshama comes from the airev-rav.
To the TheMir & ROB – Excuse me – how do you explain this – “And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time.”?
This is a perversion of the TRUTH!
Mueller report presented evidence that Trump obstructed justice. Mueller report did not “exonerate” Trump from colliding or colluding with Russia.
She says that her ancestors created a safe haven for the Jews.
But we’re supposed to believe that her motive was anything other than to blast Israel when she sandwiched that statement between comments stating that they lost their property and even their lives and other statements stating that it was forced upon them.
Let’s just call it out like she meant it. According to her, this is the timeline. The Jews were in the Holocaust. They needed a safe haven so they came to Israel. The Palestinians were ready to be gracious hosts for the Jews. Instead the Jews repaid the Palestinians with stealing their land, passports, existence and dignity and even murdered a bunch of them.
When the UN voted to Divide British Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state the Arabs Rejected it and actually with Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq Attacked the Jews intending to make a Second Holocuast! And Palestinian leader Mufti Huseeini was a known Hitler friend even photographed meeting with Hitler in Berlin!
Any peleg insurgent like mushchis in galus has alot more in common with tlaib than i do.
I hold people accountable for their shortcomings, unlike blind trump supporters.
MIR: Actually, no Arabs were forced to relocate in 1948. I have documented and published files of a diary written by a British officer who was mayor that the Israelis kept broadcasting (in 1948) that the Arabs should stay and they would be welcome as free and equal citizens. Nevertheless, many Arabs got up and left, being told by Arab countries that Israel would be blown up and all Jews killed, after which the Arabs may return in peace. That is the truth.
huju, you are a moron. Prosecutors jobs is not to “exonerate” anybody, their job is to find if any crimes have been committed. Mueller knows this, but yet in a sleazy unethical way decided to insert this innuendo in order to smear Trump. This is the same as saying that prosecutors did not exonerate your from drowning your own grandmother in the bathtub because they fail to find any evidence. I understand you are going through difficult times, first Hillary was defeated and now Mueller dashed all your hopes of removing Trump from office.