Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) blamed President Joe Biden for the deadly hospital explosion in Gaza and blasted him for refusing to negotiate a cease-fire and de-escalation of decades-long regional tensions.
On Tuesday, a hospital in Gaza exploded from a rocket, reportedly killing hundreds of civilian patients and Palestinian medical officials. Shortly after that news broke, Tlaib — who notably flies a Palestinian flag outside her congressional office and represents many Palestiani-Americans in her Michigan district — shared a social media post from SMU professor Omar Sulemein that blamed Israel on the bombing.
She added her own words, flatly saying, “Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital, killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. ” She then tagged Biden’s social media account and added, “This is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate.”
Since news broke of the deadly hospital explosion, Israel has blamed a misfired rocket by Hamas and provided evidence in support. In a visit to Israel and in his first media availability with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Tlaib has not deleted her initial post laying the blame for deadly innocents on Israel. Instead, she has doubled down with more messages blasting Israeli outlets for historically lying. To wit:
She shared a message from Human Rights attorney Noura Erakat, which blamed 500 deaths on Israel:
And then shared an article blasting Israeli leadership for lying to the public in the past:
It is not entirely clear who is responsible for the deadly hospital explosion in Gaza, and it’s impossible to know precisely what happened through a fog of war and myriad reports. However, it is notable that the Democratic president of the United States and a Democratic member of Congress are on the opposite sides of this controversial and potentially inflammatory story.