Rep. Rashida Tlaib has delivered another round of antisemitism.
“We also need to recognize as I think about my family and Palestine that continue to live under military occupation and how that really interacts with this beautiful black city that I grew up in,” said the Squad member, referring to Detroit, in virtual remarks to the 2021 Democratic Socialist of America National Convention on Monday. “You know, I always tell people cutting people off from water is violence from Gaza to Detroit. And it’s a way to control people, to oppress people. And it’s those structures that we continue to fight against.”
“I know that you all understand the structure that we’ve been living under right now is designed by those that exploit the rest of us for their own profit,” Tlaib continued. “I don’t care if it’s the issue around global human rights and our fight to free Palestine or to pushing back against those that don’t believe in the minimum wage or those that believe that people have a right to healthcare and so much more. And I tell people, those same people, that if you open the curtain and look behind the curtain, it’s the same people that make money and, yes, they do, off of racism, off of these broken policies. There is someone there making money, and you saw it!”
Tlaib’s statements reek of antisemitism for several reasons.
First off, Tlaib references a “military occupation” that is not real. Israeli forces occupy neither the West Bank nor the Gaza Strip. Areas of the West Bank home to Jewish settlements are not “occupied” but rather recognized by most reasonable analysts as Israeli-administered, pending final status agreement.
Second, there is no military occupation of Detroit.
Third, when Tlaib blames “structures” for oppressing people, that’s an antisemitic dog whistle. After all, Jews are typically blamed for controlling institutions from the government to finance with a form of shadow government. Tlaib further leans into this antisemitic trope by identifying unknown forces operating “behind the curtain” to exploit people. And note, this whole quote pertains to Tlaib’s broader connection to the Jewish state: Israel.
It’s high time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi censures Tlaib and supports a primary challenge against her.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
