Rashida Tlaib pulls attack ads from pro-Israel Democratic Group
A Democratic pro-Israel group will begin airing television ads Thursday criticizing Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, in its first on-air attempt to hit back at the growing group of Israeli skeptics within the Democratic Party.
The group’s ad, Democratic Majority for Israel, comes as President Biden and other Democrats face a backlash from the left for their staunch support of Israel as it bombs and invades the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Ms. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress and one of two Muslim women in the House of Representatives, has been one of the most outspoken progressive advocates of the Palestinian cause. She is one of eighteen Democrats in the House of Representatives who co-sponsored a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.
The advertisement, which airs on broadcast and cable in Detroit, where Ms. Tlaib’s district is located, denounces Ms. Tlaib’s vote against funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and against a resolution condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attack . The ad states that the ceasefire legislation would “enable the terrorists to rearm themselves.”
Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster and chairman of the Democratic Majority for Israel, said: “It’s important to us that people who live in the Detroit area understand what her positions have been and how out of step and radical her positions are been. .”
He added: “We hope this will cause her to moderate her views, or perhaps someone more moderate will be interested in the race.”
However, Mr. Mellman said his group was “not actively” recruiting candidates to challenge Ms. Tlaib next year.
The Democratic Majority for Israel has purchased just over $100,000 worth of ads on broadcast stations, CNN, MSNBC and CNBC in the Detroit market, according to data collected by Medium Buying, an advertising agency.
Ms. Tlaib, whose term ends in January 2025, has no major primary opponent and has not faced a well-funded challenger since her first election to Congress in 2018. Last year she received 64 percent of the primary votes against. three Democratic rivals. Her district votes overwhelmingly Democratic in the general election.
Richard Czuba, an independent pollster with expertise in Michigan politics, said Ms. Tlaib was generally popular in her district, which covers parts of Detroit and its suburbs including Dearborn, and was known locally for her strong record of service. Dearborn has a large population of Arab and Muslim Americans.
Ms. Tlaib has said she voted against U.S. funding for the Israeli military because the country “does not impose conditions on upholding the human rights” of Palestinians. She said she voted against the resolution condemning the October 7 attack “because it is a deeply incomplete and biased account of what is happening in Israel and Palestine, and what has been happening for decades.”
An aide to Ms. Tlaib responded to part of the ad that showed a clip of her ignoring a question about unconfirmed reports of “Hamas terrorists cutting off babies’ heads.”
The aide said Ms. Tlaib ignored the shouted question at the Capitol because it came from a Fox News reporter. “I do not support targeting and killing civilians, whether in Israel or Palestine,” Ms. Tlaib said in a statement from her office. “The fact that some have suggested otherwise is insulting and rooted in bigoted assumptions about my faith and ethnicity.”
Several of Ms. Tlaib’s progressive colleagues who have emerged as skeptics of the U.S. alliance with Israel since the war began, including Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Jamaal Bowman of New York, now face primary challenges from rivals backed by pro-Israel organizations.