Freshman Socialist Congresswoman Cori Bush Gets Praise And Credit For New Eviction Moratorium Photo: Cori Bush speaks during a news conference in St. Louis, Aug. 5, 2020. Bush is a Ferguson protester who ran for Congress and won. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been seemingly mute on the current violence as Israel continues to bomb Palestine. Rep. Cori Bush seems to be the lone Black Democrats speaking out for the Palestinians.
At least 122 people have since been killed in Gaza, including 31 children and 20 women, and 900 others wounded in the most serious fighting between Israel and Gaza since 2014, Reuters reported.
The latest clashes started a month ago when Israel attempted to block Palestinian gatherings in Old Jerusalem at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, ABC7 reported.
While there has been no official stance from the Congressional Black Caucus on the conflict, Rep. Bush tweeted, “The fight for Black lives and the fight for Palestinian liberation are interconnected. We oppose our money going to fund militarized policing, occupation, and systems of violent oppression and trauma. We are anti-war. We are anti-occupation. And we are anti-apartheid. Period.”
People praised Bush’s stance.
Emma Zavala-Suarez, JD @LawDoctora tweeted, “Amazing speech. Thank you for expressing thoughts and sentiments that 100% represent mine. No more funding of Israeli military or it’s apartheid government. No more of my tax dollars used to fund the terror of Palestinians. No more. #freepalestinefromapartheid#EndApartheidIsrael”.
Yonit Friedman @yonitrose tweeted, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. This Jew stands with you against apartheid everywhere.”
While her fellow CBC members have been silent, The Squad, of which Bush is a member, has been vocal. The progressive Squad is a group of six Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Initially, it was composed of four women elected in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Bush of Missouri have since joined after the 2020 elections.
Although in 2014 Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t clear or “well-versed” in her position, since taking office she has often criticized the Israeli government and expressed support for the Palestinian people.
Rep. Omar has been harsh in her criticism of Israel for committing an “act of terrorism” by launching air strikes into the Gaza Strip, The New York Post reported.
“Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid,” she tweeted.
On May 13, Rep. Pressley tweeted, “We can’t stand idly by when the United States government sends $3.8 billion of military aid to Israel that is used to demolish Palestinian homes, imprison Palestinian children and displace Palestinian families. Our government should not fund state violence in any form, anywhere.”
On the House floor Rep. Tlaib spoke out against Palestinians “being killed as the world watches” and the lack of recognition by U.S. leaders of the Palestinians’ suffering at the hands of Israel. In a speech, Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, said she was “a reminder to Congress that Palestinians do indeed exist, that we are human,” The Huffington Post reported.
Bowman has called on Biden to facilitate a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.
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In the past, the CDC has been pro-Isreal, a stance that Black protesters in the U.S. called them out on in 2014.
