(DailyVantage.com) – Following her receipt of a censure from Congress over her antisemitic remarks, Democratic Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib is now facing criticism over her membership in a Facebook group whose members have praised Hamas for their October 7 massacre of more than 1,200 civilians in Israel.
Tlaib has apparently been a member of the Palestinian American Congress Facebook group since 2018 and has reportedly been an active member in the past. The group’s founder, Abdel-Qader, has been a long-time supporter of Palestine and has been known to frequently post antisemitic sentiments.
Abdel-Qader, a Holocaust denier who has also called Jews “Satanic” in the past, was also a part of Tlaib’s 2018 congressional campaign, serving as a major fundraiser and chairman of Tlaib’s campaign’s finance committee. He was so integral to her operation that she even gave him a medal in appreciation of his efforts.
Many of the comments in the Facebook group echo the sentiments of its founder. Members have frequently posted pro-Hamas pictures and memes, with some calling on Jews to “return from where they came” while others in the group have heaped praise on Hamas for its “successful” resistance to Jewish “ethnic cleansing” and “colonization”.
Tlaib herself has not been a stranger to controversy, even before the full-scale war between Israel and Hamas broke out. She has frequently made anti-Israel comments and has accused the Jewish state of committing “genocide” against Palestinians. She has also frequently used the phrase “from the river to the sea,” which many have said to be a code of sorts that meant the eradication of Israel and the Jews.
Tlaib has defended her comments, saying that “from the river to the sea” is an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.” She has also stood by her remarks criticizing Israel, saying that her statements have always been directed at the Israeli government and its long-time leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than at Jews themselves. However, Tlaib has never straight-out issued a condemnation of Hamas and actually voted against a resolution to condemn the terrorist group for their October 7 assault on Israel.
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