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The House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D- Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, following controversial comments regarding Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas.
The censure resolution, which was authored by Rep. Rich McCormick (R- Ga.), passed by a 234 to 188 margin, which included 22 Democrats voting in favor of it and four Republicans voting against it, NBC News reports. A censure vote in congress only needs a majority vote to pass, rather than meeting a specific threshold.
Tlaib was censured for “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel," according to the resolution.
"It is a sad fact, but this type of antisemitic hate is being promoted by a small group of members in this body, chiefly Rep. Tlaib," McCormick said on the House floor before the vote. "We must hold her accountable."
Tlaib posted a video on her social media accounts showing protesters chanting "from the river to the sea," a phrase used by Hamas that Jewish groups have deemed antisemitic as it calls for the elimination of Israel. The video also accused President Joe Biden of supporting "the genocide of the Palestinian people," as well as Tlaib delivering the line, "We will remember in 2024," referencing Biden's re-election campaign.
The vote to censure Tlaib came exactly one month after Hamas' initial attack on Israel. At least 1,400 people, including dozens of American citizens, were killed and more than 3,400 were injured in the initial terror attacks on October 7, MSNBC reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, "we are in a war," in a video shared on social media after the attacks, which included land, air and sea as Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel's southern border and fired rockets from the Gaza Strip.
More than 10,000 people are reported to have died in retaliation attacks on Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday (November 6) via the Associated Press.