Rashida Tlaib slammed for Holocaust Remembrance tweet not mentioning Jews

US Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who has faced accusation of antisemitism and is known as a fierce critic of Israel, was strongly criticized for the tweet.

APRIL 25, 2020 23:54

Democratic US congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib before Election Day in Michigan, 2018. (photo credit: REUTERS/REBECCA COOK) — Democratic US congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib before Election Day in Michigan, 2018.

(photo credit: REUTERS/REBECCA COOK)

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), a Palestinian-American politician who has faced accusation of antisemitism and is known as a fierce critic of Israel, was strongly criticized on social media after tweeting a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) that failed to mention Jews.

Her failure to mention Jews drew strong criticism from political commentators and pro-Israel activists in the United States, including sarcastic replies and outrage from social media users.

This #HolocaustRemembranceDay—and every day—we pay tribute to the millions of lives lost and forever changed in one of the most horrific chapters of our world’s history. May we honor them by fighting to ensure hate and bigotry #neveragain prevail. #YomHaShoah pic.twitter.com/q1gAwfINEe
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) April 21, 2020

This #HolocaustRemembranceDay—and every day—we pay tribute to the millions of lives lost and forever changed in one of the most horrific chapters of our world’s history,” Tlaib wrote. “May we honor them by fighting to ensure hate and bigotry #neveragain prevail. #YomHaShoah.”

Elder of Ziyon, an American pro-Israel blog that covers anti-Zionist activities in the United States and elsewhere, posted a past tweet by anti-Israel activist and Tlaib associate Linda Sarsour that criticized former Republican White House chief of staff Reince Priebus for his 2017 Holocaust Remembrance Day statement that failed to mention Jews.

According to Linda Sarsour @lsarsour, @RepRashida @RashidaTlaib is an antisemite. (h/t @melissaeweiss) pic.twitter.com/GhdCrehWPx
— Elder of Ziyon (@elderofziyon) April 22, 2020

“According to Linda Sarsour @lsarsour, @RepRashida @RashidaTlaib is an antisemite,” Elder of Ziyon noted.

Anila Ali, president of the American Muslim Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council, also criticized Tlaib for the statement, saying “it’s hard for you to say ‘Jews’ ‘Jewish lives’? This is such a forced tweet. Save it."

She added that “we all know how antisemitic you and your buddies at CAIR are,” in reference to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group that has been accused of ties to Islamist organizations and terrorist groups such as Hamas.

@RashidaTlaib It’s hard for you to say,”Jews” “Jewish lives”? This is such a forced, tweet. Save it. We all know how antiSemitic you and your buddies at Cair are. https://t.co/BwQcMPpWOU
— Anila Ali (@anilaali) April 22, 2020

Tlaib has a long history of criticism for comments and activities on Israeli and Jewish topics. In August 2019, Israel announced that Tlaib and her colleague in Congress Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), another strong Israel critic accused of past antisemitism, would be denied entry into the country.

More recently, in December 2019, Tlaib accused Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu of actively fighting against a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This came following the passing of US House Resolution 326 spearheaded by Democratic House members as a response to the Trump administration's "Deal of the Century," which expressed support for a two-state solution and warned Israel against attempting to annex territory in the West Bank.