Democrat predicts Tlaib will face censure once Speaker elected

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) suggested Tuesday that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) may face censure over her statements on the Israel-Hamas war once the House elects a Speaker.

“I think once we get a House Speaker here, I think that censure resolution will come to the floor and I do think it’s something everyone should consider,” he said on Fox News when asked whether there could be a censure after Tlaib issued a statement about the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion.

“This is about U.S. intelligence, this is about U.S. information, this is about not willing to trust the Biden administration and U.S. intelligence but instead continuing to pretend like the Ministry of Health out of Gaza is nothing other than a terrorist organization,” he added.

Some Republican lawmakers have floated a censure resolution directed at Tlaib over her comments about the ensuing violence in the region since Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Tlaib and a handful of other Democratic lawmakers have faced criticism for their remarks on the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza.

Moskowitz was responding to a statement put out by Tlaib on Monday, in which she raised questions about the hospital explosion last week. Israeli and United States intelligence officials placed blame for the explosion on an Islamic Jihad group in the days following the blast.

However, Tlaib said that she cannot yet accept that Israel was not responsible for the explosion. 

“Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health, and I agree with the United Nations that an independent investigation is necessary,” Tlaib said in her statement.

“I cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact, especially in light of confirmation from the World Health Organization that Israel has bombed numerous medical facilities in Gaza and reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of ongoing threats from the Israeli military to evacuate hospitals,” she continued.

Initial reports on the blast relied largely on public statements from the militant group Hamas blaming Israel’s airstrikes for the explosion.

At the time of the explosion, Tlaib targeted the Biden administration on social media over the hospital blast in a post that is still up.

“Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that,” Tlaib said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “[President Biden,] this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate.”

Israel has escalated its airstrike campaign in Gaza in recent days, launching more than 400 strikes on the area Tuesday alone. The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting Hamas leadership and military sites, but the strikes have also killed an increasing number of civilians.

More than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 2,000 children, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. About 1,400 Israelis have also died in the violence, mostly in the Hamas surprise attack more than two weeks ago.