U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib Defends Phrase ‘From the River to the Sea’ Amid Criticism from Prominent Democrats

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib is facing backlash for defending a phrase that has been associated with the war between Israel and Hamas. Tlaib, who is the only Palestinian American in Congress, posted a video on social media platform X in which she accused President Joe Biden of supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people” and showed protesters in Michigan yelling the slogan “From the river to the sea!” She later explained that the phrase is an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence” and not a call for death or destruction. However, critics argue that the phrase is anti-Semitic and has been used by Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, which launched an attack on Israel. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and US Rep. Elissa Slotkin, both fellow Democrats, joined the criticism and called on Tlaib to retract her statement. Tlaib’s office has not responded to requests for comment.