SNA (Tokyo) — The US House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure Michigan lawmaker Rashida Tlaib, the chamber’s only Palestinian-American, for making public statements in favor of Palestinian rights and for calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after more than ten thousand Palestinians–the majority of them women and children–have been killed in retaliatory bombings. 22 of Tlaib’s fellow Democrats backed the censure, while six Republicans voted against the measure.

The censure resolution was submitted by Georgia Republican Rich McCormick. It argued that the censure was necessary because Tlaib was “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”

As evidence of the latter claim, the resolution argued that Tlaib had “doubled down on [a] call to violence by falsely describing ‘from the river to the sea’ as ‘an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence’ despite it clearly entailing Israel’s destruction and denial of its fundamental right to exist.”

In other words, the resolution condemned Tlaib based on an interpretation of her comments at variance from her own explanations.

In her brief comments before the censure vote was taken, Tlaib explained that “my criticism has always been of the Israeli government and Netanyahu’s actions. It’s important to separate people and governments… No government is beyond criticism.” She added that “the idea that criticizing the government of Israel is anti-Semitic sets a very dangerous precedent and it’s being used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”

The notion that criticism of the rightwing Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu is inherently “anti-Semitic” has been encouraged even by the Biden administration. For example, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier dismissed of progressive lawmakers’ calls for a ceasefire to end the massacres of Palestinian civilians in the following terms: “We believe they are wrong, we believe they’re repugnant, and we believe they’re disgraceful.”

Many observers have shaken their heads at the shortsightedness of such painting all efforts to bring to a halt to the massive bloodshed as reflecting the alarming spread of “anti-Semitism” across the nation.

Tlaib herself noted that “71% of Michigan Democrats support a ceasefire. So, you can try to censure me, but you can’t silence their voices.”

Even some mainstream commentators who disagree with Tlaib’s views, such as English journalist Edward Luce, noted the wrongheadedness of approving the censure resolution. Luce wrote in Financial Times that “the Tlaib censure has brought the entire house into disrepute by weaponising the grave allegation of antisemitism to stifle debate and by revealing itself to the world as selective in which children’s lives it cares about.”

The Tlaib censure has also become fodder for satire. The Onion, for example, produced the headline: “House Votes To Censure 66% Of Americans For Antisemitic Support Of Ceasefire.”

Become a Shingetsu News supporter on Patreon and receive the ” Japan and the World” newsletter by email each Monday morning.