Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib boasted her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement Sunday and explained that she has not called for boycotts of countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia because she has not had the opportunity.
Tlaib denounced the Israeli government for what she called “racist policies” and alleged mistreatment of Palestinians, but when pressed by CNN host Jake Tapper if she would rebuke oppressive governments in the Middle East, Tlaib doubled down on her attack on Israel.
“Why not boycott Egypt? You keep saying you would boycott Saudi Arabia, you would boycott Egypt, but you’re not,” Tapper said.
“I think if there was an economic boycott movement around Saudi Arabia, I’ll be the first to sign up for it,” Tlaib responded, adding, “Right now there is not a bill or resolution on the floor that is saying stop boycotting Egypt.”
Tlaib and other members of the so-called squad, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, have openly expressed their support of the BDS movement, which the House overwhelmingly condemned in a resolution this week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have both denounced the BDS movement as anti-Semitic.
“People want to dismiss it because they say it’s anti-Semitism,” Tlaib said. “That’s the way they’re trying to discredit the fact that we all know that under Netanyahu’s regime, that human rights violations have gotten worse.”
