Over a 100 Democratic members of the House of Representatives refused to vote for a resolution condemning antisemitism on Tuesday.
Thirteen Democrats voted “no,” while dozens of others either voted “present” or did not vote on the passage of H. Res. 894, introduced by Republican Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee, according to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against the measure, which passed by a 311-14 vote, with 92 voting present. (RELATED: ‘Let Me Finish’: State Dept. Spox Clashes With Reporter Over Whether Hamas Could Surrender)
Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza along Steinway Street on October 18, 2023 in the Astoria neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The neighborhood has a high concentration of residents from Morocco, Egypt, Palestine and others countries in the region. Protests continue around the world as Israel continues to retaliate against Hamas in Gaza following the deadly October 7 boarder raids on Israel that killed more than 1,400 and about 200 taken hostage. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Members of “the Squad,” a group of left-wing members of the House of Representatives, including Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Cori Bush of Missouri, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, were among the “no” votes. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, who clashed with CNN host Dana Bash over Hamas’ rapes during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, also voted “no.”
Some of the Democrats who voted “present” were Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, James Clyburn of South Carolina, Barbara Lee of California, Andre Carson of Indiana and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi of California, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Dean Phillips of Minnesota did not vote.
A number of pro-Hamas protests have taken place since Israel began military operations in response to the Oct. 7 attack by the radical Islamic terrorist group that killed over 1,400 people and have featured speakers praising Hamas. Protesters chanted the slogan “from the river to the sea,” which has connotations of wiping out Israel, at multiple events.
At one protest in support of Palestinians, a Columbia University professor called the Oct. 7 attacks “exhilarating.” Other demonstrations saw the protesters make statements like “resistance is justified.”
The resolution singled out the chants of “from the river to the sea” as one of the antisemitic acts it condemned. It also cited the killing of Paul Kessler by a pro-Palestinian protester in Los Angeles and a violent Nov. 15 protest where pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked entrances to the Democratic National Committee headquarters, injuring six police officers.
Tlaib defended the controversial slogan in a Nov. 3 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” she said. “My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.”
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