The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to kill a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over recent comments related to the Israel-Hamas war, Fox News reported.
Nearly two dozen Republicans voted along with all House Democrats to table the resolution in a final vote of 222 to 186 in favor of killing the motion without debate.
Tlaib had been the target of a censure, a form a formal punishment in the House, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over Tlaib's comments and actions related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Greene had blamed Tlaib for a protest last month that saw hundreds of Gaza ceasefire demonstrators arrested after they took over the Cannon House Office building. Greene repeatedly referred to the protest as an "insurrection" in the text of her resolution.
A wide array of members from the GOP Conference voted to table the resolution – from House Freedom Caucus Chairman Chip Roy (R-TX) to moderate Rep. John Duarte (R-CA).
One of the 23, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), said he was taking a stand for free speech in voting to halt the Tlaib censure but condemned her rhetoric about Israel.
"As much as I disagree with previous comments made by Rep. Tlaib, First Amendment liberties are for every American, and I will support this constitutional right, whether the speaker is on the political left or right and whether they are speaking heinous lies or harsh truths," Walberg said, according to Fox News. "When we hear evil speech, we should not look to the government for the answer but rather speak up as individuals to denounce it."
Tlaib, one of the members of the so-called “Squad” of Progressive Democrats, is known for her anti-Israel statements, including recently when she accused the IDF of "bombing" a hospital in Gaza, which was actually hit by an Islamic Jihad rocket.
In a statement after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Tlaib criticized Israel’s alleged “apartheid system” and criticized the US for providing billions in funding “to support the apartheid government”.
In a 2019 interview, Tlaib claimed that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel “provided” a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.
In addition, when asked in a past television interview whether she would vote against military aid to Israel when she goes to Congress, Tlaib replied, “Absolutely.”
More recently, she joined a boycott by several lawmakers from the Democratic Party of President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress, claiming she was acting “in solidarity with the Palestinian people and all those who have been harmed by Israel's apartheid government.”