US Congress Hails Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to US Congress on July 24, 2024 was uniformly hailed by all Congresspersons present, with one lone exception, Rashida Tlaib.

When I saw Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s principled refusal to applaud Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress, I was immediately reminded of an iconic photo from 1936 where a single conscientious dissenter refused to give the Nazi salute while the sea of fellow citizens around him all raised their arms.

Congresswoman Tlaib made this statement on her website:

“Netanyahu is a war criminal committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is utterly disgraceful that leaders from both parties have invited him to address Congress. He should be arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court.

“Make no mistake: this event is a celebration of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It is a sad day for our democracy when my colleagues will smile for a photo op with a man who is actively committing genocide. It is hypocritical to claim to be concerned about the massive death toll of innocent civilians, and then turn around and welcome the person responsible for these war crimes to our Capitol. Their silence is betrayal, and history will remember them accordingly. Our government must stop supporting and funding this genocide now.”

During Netanyahu’s 40-minute speech there were two dozen standing ovations and over ten minutes of clapping and applause. While all members attending the Congressional address paid fawning fealty to their overseas owner, Congresswoman Tlaib stood alone in her defiance:

Apparently, protesting genocide during Hitler’s time required a bravery that few persons possessed. Sadly, it seems to be the same in our current times of genocide.

Now is a good time to recall the question posed by Aaron Bushnell before his self-immolation:

Many of us like to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?”

The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.

To stand alone in a principled, humane stance when everyone around you seems to have lost their moral compass is indeed an act of bravery. May we find such strength within ourselves against the masses of the misguided and the malevolent.