Rep. Cori Bush is one of several Democratic members of the House of Representatives calling out the United States military support for Israel.
In an impassioned speech to Congress, Bush backed Palestinian rights and condemned the U.S.’s passive support of the violence in apartheid Israel.
“Palestinians know what state violence, militarised policing and occupation of their communities look like, and they live that reality of having to go through checkpoints while trying to live their lives,” Bush said. “We are anti-war, we are anti-occupation, and we are anti-apartheid,” she said.
In a post to her official Twitter account, Bush asserted that the fight for Black lives and the struggle for Palestinian freedom is “interconnected.”
Members of “The Squad,” including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, took to the floor to accused top-ranking government officials of erasing the Palestinian plight.
“To read the statements from President [Joe] Biden, Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, General [Lloyd] Austin and leaders of both parties, you would hardly know Palestinians existed at all,” said the Palestinian-American representative.
“There has been no recognition of the attack on Palestinian families being ripped from their homes right now. No mention of children being detained or murdered. No recognition of a sustained campaign of harassment and terror by Israeli police against worshippers kneeling down and praying and celebrating the holiest days in one of their holiest places, no mention of Al-Aqsa being surrounded by violence, tear gas, smoke, while people pray.”
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 140 people and injured at least 1,000 in the area alone.
President Joe Biden did address the conflict in Israel on Friday but stopped short of condemning Israel. “Palestinians — including in Gaza — and Israelis equally deserve to live in dignity, safety and security,” he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations decided to boycott a virtual White House Eid celebration on Sunday.
“We cannot in good conscience celebrate Eid with the Biden Administration while it literally aids, abets and justifies the Israeli apartheid government’s indiscriminate bombing of innocent men, women and children in Gaza,” CAIR said in a statement. CAIR, The nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, said Biden is placing his relationship with American Muslims at risk.
