Commentators on social media denounced Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who protested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, holding up signs calling him a “war criminal.”
In an impassioned speech, Netanyahu slammed the Gaza ceasefire protests taking place across the US and accused Iran of funding them. While many praised his leadership and his address to the American people, not all politicians were pleased with his speech, with several Democratic lawmakers abstaining from attending.
Among those in the chamber was Rep. Tlaib, a Palestinian-American and one of the House’s fiercest critics of Israel, who has called for Netanyahu to be arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC). She held up a double-sided sign that read “Guilty of Genocide” on one side and “Guilty of War Crimes” on the other and remained in silent protest throughout much of Netanyahu’s speech.
Fox News Digital saw House staffers speak to Tlaib multiple times before she put her sign down, but that didn’t stop the uproar over her sign on social media.
Harris boycotts Netanyahu, ignores Israeli leader’s wartime speech and speaks at sorority house
Rep. Rashida Tlaib protested the speech by standing silently. (Getty Images)
Republicans slammed Harris for declining to address Netanyahu in favor of a sorority house address, calling it “disgraceful.”
“Rashida Tlaib remains a complete disgrace,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis wrote about the incident.
“In other news today, Rashida Tlaib was identified as a war criminal during a speech by the Israeli prime minister. I knew she was a lawbreaker, but I didn’t know she broke the law by participating in a war. No surprise there,” wrote The Blaze contributor Allen Mashburn, joking that the label could apply to Tlaib.
Judicial Watch chairman Tom Fitton denounced the female MPs, saying: “Breaking news: terrorist sympathizers are sitting in Parliament.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to parliament (Getty Images)
Anti-Israel agitators rally in Washington ahead of Israeli PM Netanyahu’s speech to Congress
“Talib has turned herself into a meme,” reporter Ryan Saavedra wrote.
Students for Life executive director Kristan Hawkins jokingly edited the photo to make a sign that read “Stop Aborting Babies” instead, and responded, “Exactly, Rep. Tlaib!”
Tlaib also defended her comments on X, sharing a photo and writing, “I will never succumb to speaking truth to power. The Israeli apartheid government is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people will not disappear. I stand in solidarity with all who exercise their right to protest and dissent in the streets outside these walls.”
Tlaib and the House Arms Officer did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
