“Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib has been named 2023’s “Antisemite of the Year” by a nonprofit watchdog for her comments on Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack — with the Democratic lawmaker beating out an Islamist terror chief and model Gigi Hadid for the title.
“Congresswoman Tlaib’s well-earned dishonor reflects a long history of antisemitism, but her statements in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack were particularly unconscionable,” StopAntisemitism posted on X Monday.
“She not only victim-blamed Israel, but she also accused it of committing genocide against the Palestinians and continues to defend calls to ethnically cleanse Israel of Jews through genocide.”
The organization, which says its goal is to expose “groups and individuals that espouse incitement towards the Jewish people and State and engage in antisemitic behaviors,” cited the Michigan Democrat’s ongoing criticism of Israel.
In October, Tlaib faced backlash for incorrectly accusing the Israel Defense Forces of bombing a Gaza hospital, despite evidence showing it was actually struck by a misfired Palestinian Islamic Jihad missile.
The Detroit-born Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American to be elected to Congress, went as far as to call for an independent investigation into the bombing — saying she “cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact.”
“Both the Israeli and United States governments have long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes — like last year’s Israeli military assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh and the false claims of weapons of mass destruction that led our country into the Iraq War — and cannot clear themselves of responsibility without an independent international investigation,” she said at the time.
In early November, Tlaib also accused President Biden of supporting the “genocide” of Palestinians and warned in a video posted on X that voters “won’t forget” in 2024.
Just a few days later, she faced criticism online for defending protesters chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
She insisted that the chant was “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence,” despite the Anti-Defamation League’s assertion that it is a call for the elimination of the state of Israel in its current form between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) saying the phrase reflects a literal call for genocide against Jewish people.
For that defense of the hateful chant, Tlaib was censured by the House of Representatives, with 22 of her follow Democrats voting with 212 Republicans to do so.
It was later revealed that Tlaib is part of a hidden Facebook group that has praised the Hamas jihadists who kidnapped and killed hundreds of civilians in Israel — including at least 39 Americans.
The founder of the group “Palestinian American Congress” has referred to Israelis as not “real Jews” and questioned whether the Holocaust really happened, according to Fox News.
More recently, the “Squad” member raged against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the leader of the Jewish state a “genocidal maniac” in a social media post.
The Post has reached out to Tlaib’s office for comment.
StopAntisemitism gave Tlaib the title over finalists Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and model Hadid, who falsely claimed in November that Israel was “the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war.”
Executive director Liora Rez told the Jerusalem Post in a statement that all three finalists “showcase the depth and breadth of contemporary antisemitism.”
But in announcing Tlaib as the winner, Rez noted Tlaib’s status as a member of Congress.
“This is a historically dangerous time for American Jews,” she said.
“Amid an explosion in antisemitic incidents and hate crimes, we can’t afford to have our elected representatives adding fuel to the fire!”
