JERUSALEM (AP) — After barring congresswomen, PM says Israel open to "all criticism" but not calls for boycotts, which "harm the state"— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 15, 2019
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday by an overwhelming margin to pass a resolution condemning the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel and to endorse a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This is what Rep. Tlaib said on the House floor before the vote:
“I stand before you as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, parents who experienced being stripped of their human rights, the right to freedom of travel, equal treatment,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan said on the House floor. “So I can’t stand by and watch this attack on our freedom of speech and the right to boycott the racist policies of the government and the state of Israel.”Hardly a call for a boycott, or a condemnation of the state of Israel. Her complaint was with the resolution, though you wouldn't know that today. Rep. Tlaib's vote can be reasonably interpreted as standing for 1st Amendment rights of Americans. It cannot be reasonably interpreted as a call for a boycott of Israel.
15 other Representatives voted against the resolution. None of them were called out by the POTUS for their votes:
Some other notable opponents to the resolution included Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, the lone Republican to vote against the measure.
As Charlie Pierce asked, is Rep. Pocan likely to be barred from visiting Israel (or Rep. Massie)? Yeah, probably not.
So here's where we are, in the world of ETTD (out of a Twitter thread worth reading entirely):
6. Trump’s support for banning Tlaib and Omar opens up a can of worms for members of Congress traveling all over the world— Ilan Goldenberg (@ilangoldenberg) August 15, 2019
8. And of course this action makes the case for BDS supporters more than anything Tlaib & Omar could have done during a trip— Ilan Goldenberg (@ilangoldenberg) August 15, 2019
9. Given all this, hope to see universal condemnation from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, presidential candidates, and from the American-Jewish community.— Ilan Goldenberg (@ilangoldenberg) August 15, 2019
That would be nice; but I'm not holding my breath.
Trump just got a massive boost from Netanyahu in his effort to make members of “The Squad” - And Omar and Tliab in particular - his opponent instead of, say, Biden. https://t.co/kTmhNGXBBD— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 15, 2019
Trump got what he wanted; Netanyahu got what he wanted; and the cost is paid by the United States and its representatives in Congress. Confidence in Congress stepping up to counter this is not high.
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