Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel condemned Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s antisemitic chant amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
This comes after Tlaib used the popular chant “From the river to the sea” to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The phrase, however, is used by sympathizers of the antisemitic Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.
“From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” the congresswoman wrote on the social media platform X. “My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.”
Nessel, a fellow Democrat, blasted Tlaib and demanded she “retract” the use of a “cruel and hateful” phrase in her statement.
.@RashidaTlaib, I have supported and defended you countless times, even when you have said the indefensible, because I believed you to be a good person whose heart was in the right place.
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) November 4, 2023
But this is so hurtful to so many. Please retract this cruel and hateful remark. https://t.co/HBCf8jRgYo- Advertisement -
“@RashidaTlaib, I have supported and defended you countless times, even when you have said the indefensible, because I believed you to be a good person whose heart was in the right place,” the AG wrote on X. “But this is so hurtful to so many. Please retract this cruel and hateful remark.”
Tlaib also received backlash from several prominent lawmakers—mostly Republicans—who reminded the Michigan Democrat of the history behind the phrase.
“From the river to the sea is a rallying call for the erasing of the State of Israel. If that’s aspirational to you, that’s a problem. Stand With Israel,” Florida Rep. Byron Donalds wrote on X.
“Terrorist Tlaib is promoting the genocide of all Jewish people in Israel and calls it aspirational,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted. “‘From the river to the sea’ means to wipe out all the Jews and take their land from the river to sea. You should resign and go to Gaza and fight on the front lines for Hamas.”
Earlier last month, the Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border, killing at least 700 people. The death toll has so far risen to 1,200, according to IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
The attack has since prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group with a ruthless aerial campaign that has flattened homes, schools, medical institutions, and government buildings in the Gaza Strip.
