A video purportedly from 2019 shows Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the progressive Democrat from Michigan, saying that Israel and the Palestinian people should “coexist” after being asked whether the former has a right to exist.
In the video obtained by Fox News Digital, the Michigan representative is seen having an animated conversation with a self-described “concerned Jewish voter.”
“Separate but equal doesn’t work, it didn’t work with blacks and whites in our country, it shouldn’t work in Israel,” Tlaib says at the beginning of the clip. “Good?”
The person who recorded the video, who asked not to be publicly identified, pressed the squad member and asked: “So, would that be a right for Israel to exist?”
“Do they pay you?” Tlaib responded. “Do you work for Netanyahu?”
The interrogator informs the representative that she is a US citizen and pressures Tlaib to respond.
“Would you like to answer the question?” She asks Tlaib. “Congressman, I am very concerned that you cannot simply say that you believe Israel should exist.”
At that point, Tlaib asks the interviewer if he understands what “coexist” means.
“Oh my God. Do you understand what that means?” asks the congresswoman. “To live together.”
“I absolutely believe it,” the questioner replied.
Tlaib asks the cameraman if they work for Netanyahu in a 2019 recording. Fox News
The representative went on to say, “Why isn’t it beautiful? That should mean coexisting. That means everyone should feel safe, no matter who they are or [what] his background is.”
“Then the Jews would have a state in which they would feel safe?” The interrogator continued.
“If that means that my grandmother cannot exist equally as a human being then, no. “Okay?” Tlaib says, entering a crowded elevator.
“So live together. “Separate but equal doesn’t work,” he said as the elevator doors closed.
Tlaib has faced backlash for her stance in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, drawing condemnation not only from Republicans but also from the White House.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the comments from Tlaib and other progressive Democrats in Congress.
“I have seen some of those statements this weekend and we are going to continue to be very clear. We think they’re wrong, we think they’re disgusting, and we think they’re shameful,” Jean-Pierre said when asked about the administration’s reaction to comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Rashida. Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.
“Our condemnation corresponds directly to the terrorists who have brutally murdered, raped and kidnapped hundreds, hundreds of Israelis. There can be no doubt about it. There are not two sides here. There are not two sides,” he added.
White House press secretary criticizes Tlaib for her stance.Getty Images
In a statement on October 8, a day after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, Tlaib said: “I mourn the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today and every day. “I am determined as always to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights and human dignity.”
“The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system that creates suffocating and dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance. Failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation and apartheid does not make anyone safer. No person, no child anywhere should suffer or live in fear of violence. We cannot ignore the humanity in each of us. “As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue,” Tlaib said.
Tlaib also came under fire amid the Hamas terror attack in Israel for flying a Palestinian flag outside her Capitol office. The flag has been there since at least January 2023, but observers were outraged that the flag remained after the recent massacre.
Multiple requests for comment to Tlaib’s office were not returned Saturday.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn