South Florida Democrats join House vote to censure Rashida Tlaib over Israel comments

While Democrats posted some big election wins last week, they also saw a controversial vote that revealed painful intra-party division — especially for the Florida delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

South Florida Democrats crossed party lines to join Republicans in the House during a late night Tuesday vote to censure U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib — Congress’ only Palestinian American — for her rebuke of the Israeli government amid the war in Gaza.

Four of the 22 Democrats who voted to censure the three-term Michigan Democrat came from South Florida, where congressional districts are home to large Jewish communities. These Democrats included Palm Beach County Reps. Lois Frankel and Jared Moskowitz along with Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Weston, all of whom are Jewish. They were joined by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Miami Gardens.

A censure vote is a punishment one step down from expulsion in the U.S. House, and the debate leading up to the 234-188 tally was an emotional one regarding a resolution accusing Tlaib of antisemitic rhetoric. Its sponsor, Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick, said Tlaib’s comments were “promoting false narratives” of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”

What did Rep. Rashida Tlaib say to earn the U.S. House reprimand?

The censure was prompted by two missives Tlaib posted on X, formerly Twitter. In the first one, on Oct. 17, she accused Israel of bombing a Gaza hospital. Then, in another post on Nov. 3, she included a video showing marchers chanting “from the river to the sea.”

Supporters of Israel say "from the river to the sea" is a pro-Palestinian slogan that is a call to destroy the state of Israel. In a later post on X, Tlaib defended her use of the wording saying the phrase is an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.”

But the South Florida Democrats didn't buy it.

Moskowitz also pushed back at Tlaib ahead of the censure vote after she accused Israel of bombing a Gaza hospital. Western intelligence officials later found that the blast came from an errant rocket fired from within Palestinian territory and not the Israelis.

“I voted for the censure resolution. Calling for Israel to be eliminated crosses a line. Any member can spew antisemitic vitriol and call for the destruction of the Jewish State. But the House also can make it clear that speech does not reflect the opinion of the chamber,” Moskowitz wrote on Twitter following the censure vote.

Frankel agreed.

“‘From the river to the sea’ has historically been a call to wipe Israel off the earth; it does nothing to further peace. Hamas is committing acts of terror,” Frankel wrote on Nov. 5. “They should release the hostages and surrender."

That’s why she voted to censure her fellow Democrat, Frankel said, because she was troubled by Tlaib posting a video with marchers shouting this phrase.

“I told her that I represent thousands of Jewish people, and that with antisemitism on the rise, many are very scared. I explained that her post was like putting gas on the fire. I politely suggested that she take it down. She did not,” said Frankel, who added she represents a district with one of the nation's largest Jewish populations.

Wasserman-Schultz and Wilson’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick didn’t vote to censure Tlaib, although she said she rejects the “from the river to the sea” phrase along with her colleagues.

“We are here to serve the American people and deliver for our constituents. With another government shutdown around the corner, I refuse to have any part in distracting Congress from fulfilling its constitutional duties. The weaponization of these censures is nothing but a political game that does not solve our nation’s problems,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement.

Palestinian voices locally: Local Palestinians: Netanyahu and Hamas both stand in the way of peace

A censure does not have any effect on a legislator’s job in the lawmaking and voting process, nor does it remove them from all-important committee assignments. But it symbolically denotes severe disapproval from colleagues.

Again, the most revealing effect of the censure vote is the divide it showed among Democrats. The caucus has been notable for its stalwart unity, most recently in support of military hadrware for Ukraine and even in opposing Republican House speaker candidates. House Democrats have also staunchly supported Israel although members have exerted some pressure for Tel Aviv to call for a ceasefire and brought attention to the suffering of Palestinian people and the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Tlaib has been the most vocal member for those positions, and has said that her criticism of Israel has been directed at the government and its leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It is important to separate people and government,” Tlaib said. “The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent. And it’s been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation.”

Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: South Florida Democrats vote to censure Rashida Tlaib over Israel comments