What does it mean to be censured? Rashida Tlaib punishment explored as House censure vote reaches conclusion

A Palestinian-American politician and attorney named Rashida Tlaib, who serves as the U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 12th congressional district, was censured late on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. This comes after she criticized Israel’s attack on Gaza and pleaded with lawmakers to call for a ceasefire.

Democrats in the House demanded that the congresswoman be censured, and the majority vote required for it came late. As per ABC News, the tally was 234 yes and 188 no.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Rashida Tlaib has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration, which she believes is backing Israel and allowing them to continue killing Palestinians in Gaza.

For those unaware, to be censured means an official and deep disapproval of a member’s conduct taken by either chamber of the U.S. Congress without being expelled, according to The Hill.

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Rashida Tlaib was censured for “more serious violations”

As mentioned, being censured means an official and “deep disapproval” or a “form of public rebuke,” as per the House’s official website. According to The Hill, a censure happens in the House for “more serious violations,” requiring a majority vote. Once censured, the member must “stand in the well of the House” as the presiding officer reads the censure resolution.

A censured member, such as Rashida Tlaib, will be publicly condemned for her behavior and nothing more. She can still avail herself of the privileges and rights of being a congresswoman and is not expelled under the circumstances. Moreover, censure does not mean she will be removed from her committee assignments.

In the case of “serious violations,” the House usually goes for a reprimand, whereas, in the case of “most serious violations,” the result is an expulsion. Censure is the middle ground between the two.

In the history of the House, 25 lawmakers have been censured, as reported by The Hill, including Adam Schiff earlier this year and Paul Gosar in 2021.

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“I will not be silenced”: Rashida Tlaib defends herself in the wake of being censured

On November 7, Democrats in the U.S. Congress House asked to censure Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for her comments regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the USA’s role in “fuelling” it. The majority vote (234 against 188) to put the censure into effect came late on Tuesday, November 7.

Since October 7, when the Palestine-based Hamas group attacked Israel, and the latter responded with a counterstrike, thousands of people have lost their lives on both sides, with more injured and some reportedly being held hostage.

In the wake of this, Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American politician and lawyer, has slammed Joe Biden’s administration for siding with its ally Israel. She also urged for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Now, she has been censured (after the 2nd attempt) for her critical remarks from her fellow Democrats as well as Republicans, under the pretext of “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel,” as stated in the resolution sponsored by Republican U.S. Representative of Georgia Rich McCormick.

The resolution, as per The Hill, also stated that Rashida Tlaib used the phrase “from the river to the sea” more than once, which it “widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

The resolution further accused Tlaib of claiming on October 8 that it was U.S. assistance in Israel that was in part to blame for the ongoing violence in the Middle East.

While awaiting her censure, Rashida Tlaib hit back at the congressional motion on Tuesday and said:

“I will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words… No government is beyond criticism… The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent, and it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”

She also defended that she was advocating for free speech, peaceful coexistence, and equal human rights and freedom for Palestinians as compared to the Israelis. She also mentioned that “Palestinian people are not disposable” and warned that Joe Biden might be losing Arab American and Muslim voters in the 2024 presidential election for backing Israel.

The congresswoman, who was first elected in 2018, added:

“The cries of the Palestinian and Israeli children sound no different to me. What I don’t understand is why the cries of Palestinians sound different to you all. We cannot lose our shared humanity... I hear the voices of advocates in Israel and Palestine across America and around the world for peace.”

As per The Guardian, she also said in the House on Tuesday that she was inspired by the Israeli survivors who, despite losing their loved ones, were calling for “a ceasefire and the end to violence.” She also lauded Jewish Americans who took to the streets advocating for peace, regardless of ethnicity and religion.

Tlaib further clarified that it was important to differentiate between people and the government, and her problem was with the latter, as she once again rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She added that she wasn’t alone, and many lawmakers across the USA were in favor of a ceasefire.

As per ABC News, Rashida Tlaib was first condemned when she refused to apologize for blaming Israel for a devastating hospital blast in Gaza, which U.S. officials believed was caused by Islamic Jihad rockets. Following that, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed her censure.

As per Times of Israel, Tlaib has her family in West Bank, Palestine. She previously earned criticism from Palestinians for not defending them on October 7.