Newly elected US Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has announced she plans to wear a “traditional Palestinian gown” when she is sworn into Congress next month, The Hill reports.
Tlaib, who won Michigan's 13th Congressional District, made the announcement in a post on Instagram featuring a photo of the thobe on Friday.
"Sneak peek: This is what I am wearing when I am sworn into Congress," Tlaib captioned the photo, in addition to the hashtags #PalestinianThobe and #ForMyYama — which means mother in Arabic.
According to CNN, it is custom for Palestinian Arab women to wear hand-embroidered gowns which are reportedly considered another way for them to show pride for their heritage and typically represents the city the person wearing the clothing is from.
During her victory party after being elected, Tlaib wrapped herself in a "Palestinian" flag.
In the past, during an interview with British Channel 4 News, Tlaib was asked whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress and replied “absolutely.”
“US aid should be leverage,” she said. “If you’re going to be a country that discriminates on somebody solely based on their faith, solely based on their skin color … to me, that doesn’t fit our value of our country.”
Tlaib is joined by Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar from Minnesota in becoming one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
Omar has in the past called Israel an “apartheid regime”. In 2012, she said that Israel had “hypnotized the world” to ignore its “evil doings.”
She also sparked controversy for saying after being elected that she supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel, after saying during her campaign that it was “counteractive” and prevents dialogue.