President Joe Biden visited a Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center plant Tuesday, and was greeted on a Detroit tarmac by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13).
According to NPR, America’s first Palestinian congresswoman used her short time with the forty-sixth president to discuss the escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“Palestinian human rights are not a bargaining chip and must be protected, not negotiated,” Tlaib told Biden according to NPR, which cited an aide to the congresswoman. “The U.S. cannot continue to give the right-wing [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government billions each year to commit crimes against Palestinians. Atrocities like bombing schools cannot be tolerated, much less conducted with U.S.-supplied weapons.”
“Congresswoman Tlaib reiterated that the status quo is enabling more killing, that the current U.S. approach of unconditional support for the Israeli government is not working, and that the White House must do far more to protect Palestinian lives, dignity, and human rights,” the aid reportedly told NPR.
In April, it was reported that the Biden administration gave $235 million in taxpayer-funded aide to Palestinians. The disputed territory is largely controlled by Hamas, a designated terror organization.
The Biden administration finds itself in a bind, with the progressive members of its party like Tlaib insisting that Israel is an apartheid state and that it must cave to the demands of the Palestinians, which undermines the United States’ strong alliance with Israel.
For Tlaib, it is personal. She has family in Gaza.
Biden, for his part, directly addressed the congresswoman during his speech at the Ford plant.
“And from my heart, I pray that your grandma and family are well,” he said. “I promise you I’ll do everything to see that they are, on the West Bank. You’re a fighter and God thank you for being a fighter.”
He also expressed support for a ceasefire between the groups Tuesday.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
