The House passed a resolution declaring the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” to be anti-Semitic.
The resolution stated the slogan is divisive and unhelpful to achieving peace.
It passed 377-44 with bipartisan support. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who introduced it, said the slogan communicates only the violent destruction of Israel.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian American member of Congress, opposed it, saying such bills are distractions from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Last year, the House censured Tlaib over comments related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“This slogan communicates one thing and one thing only,” D’Esposito said. “It is not human rights. It is certainly not peace. It is the violent destruction of the state of Israel and the Jewish people that live within it.”
The House has considered several bills on Israel, including emergency aid, though aid legislation failed in the Senate last year.
New bills on assistance and Iran sanctions are now pending following recent drone attacks on Israel.
“We are seeing the same ‘messaging’ bills on the floor every single week,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote. “These bills are just an attempt to distract from the genocide in Gaza. I am not voting for any of these bills while the genocide of Palestinians continues.”
🚨BREAKING: My legislation CONDEMNING the slogan, “from the river to the sea, ‘Palestine’ will be free” has passed the House.
These antisemitic activists want nothing more than the destruction of Israel & the Jewish people inside it.
America will always #StandWithIsrael.🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OfIgUI3QII
— Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (@RepDesposito) April 16, 2024
