Is the Michigan pol as ignorant as a brick --- or just a hater? Image by The Washington Post
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In an interview on Yahoo News's "Skullduggery" podcast published Saturday, Tlaib was asked about her position on the issue. The freshman lawmaker began her response by noting that the United States commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day two weeks ago. She then discussed her Palestinian ancestors and the founding of the state of Israel, saying that she was "humbled by the fact that it was my ancestors that had to suffer" to create a safe haven for Jewish people.
"There's, you know, there's a kind of a calming feeling, I always 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, had been wiped out. . . . I mean, 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," Tlaib said.
She added that the events of the past have informed her views on how to approach a solution to the current conflict.
"I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that [safe haven], in many ways," Tlaib said. "But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right? And it was forced on them. And so, when I think about one-state, I think about the fact that, why couldn't we do it in a better way?"
Tlaib's comments were picked up by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which published an article with the headline, "Tlaib Says She Is Humbled Her Ancestors Provided 'Safe Haven' for Jews After Holocaust."
But two of the top House Republicans on Sunday criticized her use of the phrase "calming feeling," falsely accusing her of using the phrase to describe her views about the Holocaust itself.
"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 of Louisiana said in a statement. "More than six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust; there is nothing 'calming' about that fact."
Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House, issued a statement describing Tlaib's remarks as "sickening."
"I call on Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer to finally take action against Representative Tlaib and other members of the Democratic caucus who are spreading vile anti-Semitism," she said, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. "All of us, regardless of party, must stand as Americans against the evil of anti-Semitism. If the Democratic leadership continues to stand by in silence, they are enabling the spread of evil."
A spokesman for Tlaib did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but on Sunday night, Tlaib tweeted: "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."
[Editor's note: Students of history are aware that the Muslims of the Holy Land almost immediately went to war after the Jewish State was declared. And lost. In fact, the Holy Land's Muslims often refer to Israel's Independence Day as the "Nakba" (Catrastrophe), which they observe annually on May 15.]
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