US Rep. Tlaib decries Democrats: 'progressive except for Palestine'

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The so-called progressive movement was condemned on Tuesday by US House Representative and Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib, who happens to be Palestinian-American and the sole Congress member to oppose "Israel’s" self-definition as a "Jewish state", for supporting what she called "Israel’s" “apartheid” government.

In an online forum organized by American Muslims for Palestine, she stated, “I want you all to know that among progressives, it’s become clear that you cannot claim to hold progressive values, yet back Israel’s apartheid government, and we will continue to push back and not accept that you are progressive except for Palestine". 

The term “Progressive except for Palestine,” has been directed at pro-"Israel" so-called progressives by their pro-Palestinian opposites for years, which led support for Palestinians and criticism of "Israel" to increase among progressives in recent years, yet a large abundance of Congress members remain on par with the pro-"Israel" community.

A tweet with a video of Tlaib by the Anti-Defamation League CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, stated, “In one sentence, [Tlaib] simultaneously tells American Jews that they need to pass an anti-Zionist litmus test to participate in progressive spaces even as she doubles down on her antisemitism by slandering "Israel" as an apartheid state.”

In May of this year, she introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives to acknowledge the forced and mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948 by "Israel", based on the US role in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The resolution also urges the US Congress to recognize the Nakba and commemorate it annually, reject efforts to deny the event, and support UNRWA by supporting resolutions related to Palestinian refugee rights, including the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 on the right of Palestinians to return to their homes.

She stressed that “we must acknowledge that the humanity of Palestinians is being denied when folks refuse to acknowledge the war crimes and human rights violations in apartheid Israel.”

Tlaib mentioned that the resolution is cosponsored by fellow congresswomen Betty McCollum, Marie Newman, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Omar accused "Israel" of abusing human rights, saying, "We sold $175 billion in weapons last year—more than anyone in the world—to some of the worst human rights abusers in the world," on Twitter. "Here’s an idea: don’t sell arms to anyone who violates human rights," she added. 

Considering Tlaib's membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, at least two of her fellow members claimed her challenge to be offensive.