'Squad' votes on Israel's right to exist, condemning Hamas reveal division in far-left group
Members of the far-left "Squad" were divided on House votes to reaffirm Israel's right to exist and condemn terrorist group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
The House of Representatives' Tuesday votes on reaffirming Israel's right to exist and condemning the terrorist group Hamas revealed division among members of the far-left "Squad."
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich, and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., were the only members of the radical eight-person group to not vote in favor of H. Res. 888, which centered on Israel's existence. Tlaib was the only House member who chose to vote "present," while Bush didn't vote.
Bush similarly didn't vote on H. Res. 793, which condemned Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 attack against Israel and demanded the immediate release of its remaining hostages taken in the attack. However, Tlaib joined the rest of her "Squad" colleagues in voting for the resolution despite her past refusal to condemn the attack.
After the vote, Tlaib told Fox News Digital in a statement about H. Res. 888 that "both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live with democracy, safety, peace, and human dignity."
"This resolution that ignores the existence of the Palestinian people brings us no closer to peaceful coexistence. It’s important to recognize that Palestinians also have a right to coexist with Israelis in their historic homeland, with equal rights and freedom, rather than living under racial segregation or being subjugated as second-class citizens. This resolution falls short of that," she said.
"Israel does not have a right to carry out illegal occupation and apartheid—which will never lead to a just and lasting peace. Unfortunately, this resolution is a one-sided attempt to rewrite history, contributes to the ongoing erasure of Palestinians by not even acknowledging their existence, and fails to recognize the historical and ongoing Nakba in which countless Palestinians have been and are actively being killed, displaced, and driven from their homes," she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bush for comment.
H. Res. 793 passed in a 414-0 vote while H. Res. 888 passed 412-1. Both needed a two-thirds majority to pass.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the sole "No" vote against H. Res. 888, citing the language within the legislation.
"I agree with the title ‘Reaffirming the State of Israel’s Right to Exist’ and much of the language, but I’m voting No on the resolution because it equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Antisemitism is deplorable, but expanding it to include criticism of Israel is not helpful," he wrote in a post on X following the vote.
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In addition to Bush, a number of other members from both parties also didn't vote for either resolution, although it wasn't immediately clear why.
The "Squad's" general support for the resolutions appears to be a sharp turn from where most of the group was in the weeks following Hamas' attack when all but one member voted against a resolution condemning antisemitism on American college campuses.
Tlaib faced the sharpest criticism for her response to the attack after she repeatedly refused to condemn it and tripled down on her debunked claim that Israel was responsible for the explosion at a Gaza hospital that reportedly killed hundreds of people.
The House ultimately voted to censure Tlaib earlier this month for "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."
The punishment, while largely symbolic, was a formal public rebuke of her comments.
