Rashida Tlaib holds up a sign reading “war criminal” while Netanyahu addresses Congress [Getty]
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has secured her fourth term in the US House of Representatives, standing in Michigan’s 12th congressional district.
Winning decisively on Tuesday night, Tlaib remains the only Palestinian-American in Congress, and is known for her outspoken stance on US military aid to Israel and her support for Palestinian rights in Gaza, the West Bank, and within the United States.
The Associated Press called the race with just 18 percent of the votes counted, as Tlaib maintained a commanding lead, ultimately winning with 77 percent of the vote.
She defeated Republican opponent James Hooper, who received only 19 percent, ensuring her continued representation of Dearborn and Detroit, areas with significant Arab-American populations.
Tlaib has been one of Congress’s most vocal critics of US support for Israel’s war on Gaza, advocating for a suspension of arms supplies and condemning the Biden administration’s military and diplomatic backing of Israel.
She actively supported pro-Palestinian protests on US university campuses, despite facing criticism from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
In the days leading up to the election, Tlaib declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency but encouraged Americans to vote in support of progressive causes.
First elected in 2018 alongside Ilhan Omar, Tlaib rose to prominence as part of “The Squad”, a group of progressive lawmakers.
Her time in office has seen her challenge both domestic and foreign policies, especially regarding human rights and Israel’s war on Gaza and its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
She has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s staunch backing of Israel’s war on Gaza, where over 43,000 people – the overwhelming majority civilians – have been killed.
She has accused Joe Biden of supporting genocide and threatened that he would lose Arab American and Muslim support in the Democrats’ election campaign.
In November 2023, she landed herself with a censure – a punishment one step below expulsion from the House – over criticism of Israel, which was interpreted as “unbelievable falsehoods about our greatest ally, Israel” and “antisemitic”.
Tlaib, undeterred, stood by her beliefs, responding: “I will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words”.
“No government is beyond criticism,” she said. “The idea that criticising the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”
During a controversial March address to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tlaib made a bold and symbolic statement by holding up a sign reading “guilty of genocide”.
