Since her election to Congress in 2018, Rashida Tlaib has been a vocal critic of Israeli policies. She believes that Israel has created an apartheid system in Gaza while calling for sanctions against it.
Rashida Tlaib is one of the two congresswomen with Ilhan Omar of Minnesota elected to Congress. Both congresswomen have been critical of the US government on its policies related to Palestine.
Both lawmakers who have repeatedly criticized Israel's treatment of Palestinians have faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.
In a statement released on Sunday, Palestinian-origin Rashida Tlaib mourned the loss of lives on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
She also called for the lifting of the blockade, the end of the occupation, and the dismantling of the apartheid system in Gaza.
"The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer. No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence."
It is important to note that Tlaib has condemned Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilians in the past. However, she has also been critical of Israeli policies in the region, which she believes have created the conditions that lead to violence.
Meanwhile, Ilhan Omar on Saturday wrote on X, "I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly, and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas. Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we've seen, which we cannot allow to continue. We need to call for de-escalation and ceasefire."
She added, "I will keep advocating for peace and justice throughout the Middle East."
However, the statements by US congresswomen differ from the tone struck by their fellow members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have strongly condemned the Hamas attack.
Sanders wrote on X, "There's no justification for this violence."
Ocasio-Cortez said, "I condemn Hamas' attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region."
