Democratic members of the House of Representatives defended Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan over her use of a controversial phrase during a debate on censuring her Tuesday.

Tlaib is under fire for her use of a phrase, “from the river to the sea,” that has connotations of wiping out Israel in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Republican Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia sponsored the resolution to censure Tlaib over her comments; Democratic Reps. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Cori Bush of Missouri spoke out against the measure, and the resolution survived a motion to table by a 213-208 vote.

“I spent all weekend in Michigan talking to all communities about the meaning of this phrase and there are really strong feelings on all sides,” Dingell said during a speech on the floor of the House. “People interpret words in different ways. Personally, I choose not to use the phrase that is offensive to some and perceived as a threat.”

“From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate,” Tlaib claimed in the Nov. 3 tweet.

“From the river to the sea” is considered a catch-all phrase for Palestinian control over all of Israel’s borders, according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which noted that Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have used the phrase.

“Calling for the elimination of the Jewish state, praising Hamas or other entities who call for Israel’s destruction, or suggesting that the Jews alone do not have the right to self-determination,” is antisemitic, the AJC said.

“This resolution is about one thing and one thing only: the punishment of speech,” Raskin said during the debate. “So we have a chance to show the world what the American Constitution means and how we hold fast to our core principles, even when we are drawn away from them by our passions and our righteous anger.”

“It’s outrageous my colleagues are blatantly, blatantly attempting to silence the only Palestinian American representative right here. It’s outrageous but not surprising,” Bush said. “It’s not surprising because this place is where 1700 members of Congress, this elected body, enslaved black people. It’s not surprising because they thought it was right. It’s not surprising because this is a place where members continue the insurrection on the Capitol. It’s not surprising because this is a place where our black and brown staff members repeatedly speak of experiences, racism, and sexism, Islamophobia, get pushed off of elevators in this workplace.”

Cori Bush just went on what is probably the most unhinged rant I’ve ever seen in Congress on the censure resolution of Rashida Tlaib.

She even refused to stop after the mic was cut off. pic.twitter.com/yon1HfFEaP

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 7, 2023

Tlaib previously was spared a censure when 22 Republicans voted with Democrats Wednesday to table a resolution by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia that would have censured Tlaib for antisemitic comments and a raucous Oct. 18 protest.

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