Israel’s decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at…

A measured and nuanced discussion of the Holocaust, Israel, and Palestinians was intentionally mischaracterized by right-wing media and politicians Sunday, leading to corporate media and the president amplifying dishonest attacks on one of the nation’s only two Muslim Congresswomen. The controversy comes from remarks made by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery” published Saturday. During the…

WASHINGTON — Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the first Palestinian American elected to Congress, is encountering roadblocks erected by a senior Democrat and a Republican lawmaker in her bid to bring a congressional delegation to the illegally occupied West Bank. Tlaib’s plans are meant as a rebuke of the tours of Israel sponsored by the American…

WASHINGTON — On January 3, 2019, the winds of youth and change were evident in the halls of the U.S. House of Representatives and more particularly in the offices of some of the newly elected members. By 9 a.m. Representative Rashida Tlaib, dressed in her traditional Palestinian thobe, was already standing for pictures and a large…

Democratic representative-elect Rashida Tlaib is “planning to lead a congressional delegation to the Israeli-occupied West Bank”, according to a report by the Intercept. The Intercept described the trip as “a swift rebuke of a decades-old tradition for newly elected members: a junket to Israel sponsored by the education arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known…

Rashida Tlaib has repudiated key positions of the Israel lobby group J Street, which endorsed her during her winning Democratic primary campaign for Michigan’s 13th congressional district. This comes after days of controversy and questions about the political commitments required to secure the support of the liberal Zionist organization. In an interview with In These Times on Tuesday, Tlaib…

 Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib was asked directly by the UK’s Channel 4 on Monday whether she would vote against US military aid to Israel if, as expected, she is elected to Congress in November. Tlaib avoided the question at first, giving a lengthy answer about her Palestinian ancestry and emphasizing that she is “for…

There has been much euphoria over the Michigan primary win on Tuesday that sets up Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib to become the first Muslim woman to enter Congress if, as widely expected, she wins the general election in November. “As the child of immigrants and an Arab, Tlaib is acutely aware of the issues that impact our…