On May 14, 2023, Israel will celebrate its 75th year as an independent state. Given the history of the region, celebrating 75 years of democracy in the Middle East is a big deal. Recently, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, with whom I rarely agree, published this tweet:
“The United States and Israel share a special relationship: we are the only two countries in history that were conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal. I know the best days for Israel—and our unbreakable bond—are ahead of us.”
In response, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan tweeted this:
“Speaker McCarthy wants to rewrite history but the apartheid state of Israel was born out of violence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 75 years later, the Nakba (emphasis added) continues to this day.”
May 15 commemorates “Nakba Day” for Palestinians, the day after Israeli Independence Day and the Establishment of the state of Israel. While I do not live in Congresswoman Tlaib’s district (my home is about 5 miles northwest), my synagogue is in her district. I have family and friends who live there. I am deeply troubled by her words and actions as it relates to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Bottom line? Her tweet is patently false. As most historians and biblical scholars know, Israel and the Jewish people have overcome literally thousands of years of oppression from their Arab neighbors. Over the centuries, several of these ‘neighbors’ have invaded the land now known as Israel with the express intent of wiping out the Jewish population and conquering the land. Were those attempts not examples of “ethnic cleansing?” Furthermore, the state of Israel was established shortly after one of the worst examples of ethnic cleansing in history, the extermination of the 6 million, the Holocaust.
In 2023 and since the establishment of the Jewish State, Israel remains the only true democracy in the region. Unlike her neighbors, the country offers full and equal rights to all its citizens. This includes citizens of Palestinian descent, women, other Arab citizens of Israel, and members of the LGBTQ community. I challenge Congresswoman Tlaib to name a Middle Eastern neighbor that offers the same or similar rights to all its citizens. In fact, these rights and freedoms have always been denied to Jewish citizens, women, and LGBTQ citizens in Arab lands, including the West Bank and Gaza.
Throwing out terms like “ethnic cleansing” or “apartheid state” might rile up Congresswoman Tlaib’s base, but they are dangerous. They also ignore the fact that Arab states have long sought to wipe out the Jews—assuming I concede that violence and ethnic cleansing have occurred on the Israeli side of the conflict, I submit, at the very least, that it has not been a one-way street. The congresswoman would have us believe that current hostilities should completely wipe out centuries of Jewish oppression.
I do not dismiss the suffering of the Palestinian people. I understand that the congresswoman has deep-seeded allegiance to her people, as I do to mine. I would note, however, that Palestinian leadership has contributed to the oppression of its own people, declined every olive branch offered by Israel, dismantled crucial infrastructure provided by Israel, and breached every peace accord. While both sides have legitimate concerns in negotiating future peace, only Israel remains a beacon for equal rights and human rights.
Rashida Tlaib represents a congressional district of American citizens, citizens of all races, creeds, religions, and cultures. Those citizens are entitled to equal representation by their congressperson. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents complex issues. Lasting peace in the region should be the goal of all sensible people. Extremist rhetoric like that exhibited in Congresswoman Tliab’s tweet is counter-productive, unbefitting of a United States Congressperson, and unrepresentative of a large percentage of her constituents. Tlaib should be elevating the debate, not muckraking—while entitled to her beliefs, her public expressions should be representative of all her constituents, not a chosen few. The citizens of her district deserve far better than this. Peace.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the headlines, realistic fiction that speak truth to power and champion the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com. Mark also hosts the Justice Counts podcast with Lean to the Left editor & publisher Bob Gatty, presenting bi-weekly interviews focused on social justice.