The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The movement is a Palestinian-led movement that calls for a global boycott of Israel. The bill passed 398-17 with five members voting present.
Not surprising, "Squad" members Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MN), Ilhan Omar (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) opposed the bill.
These are the additional legislators who opposed the legislation:
Most of these names who were unwilling to condemn even the concept of BDS are unsurprising. But to see @chelliepingree once again siding w/the extremist anti-Israel members of the caucus is stunning. pic.twitter.com/jpR5jHr4rb
— KC Johnson (@kcjohnson9) July 23, 2019
On the House floor, Tlaib equated the BDS movement with boycotting Nazi Germany.
"Americans of conscience have a long and proud history of participating in boycotts, specifically to advocate for human rights abroad," Tlaib said. "Americans boycotted Nazi Germany in response to dehumanization, imprisonment and genocide of Jewish people."
Today Squad Member Rep. Tlaib called Israel's government racist & outrageously suggested the anti-Semitic BDS movement is equivalent to boycotting Nazi Germany.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) July 23, 2019
THIS is why we must pass the Senate bill to combat BDS & protect our ally Israel. Toothless resolutions won’t cut it. pic.twitter.com/LI6j4RyhTk
Omar introduced a resolution last week defending the pro-BDS movement although it doesn't mention it by name, BuzzFeed reported.
The House affirms “that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution."
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Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) slammed the movement, saying it will have a detrimental impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We all need to stand up against that. And so this resolution is incredibly important. As my other colleague just mentioned, our nations had a rich history of using boycotts to promote freedom. There are other boycotts that have been displayed to undermine freedom and that's really where the BDS movement is in a very different category and I think we all need to make that distinction. If a boycott is being used to advance freedom, that's when we should support," Scalise explained on the House floor. "But if a boycott is being used to undermine the very freedoms that exist in the only real elected democracy in the Middle East, we all need to rise up against that as people who respect that great tradition that great love between the United States and Israel. An unbreakable bond — one that brings Republicans and Democrats together, we need to continue that tradition."
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