“Congresswoman Moves to Censure GOP Colleague for Comparing Hamas and Palestinians!

The U.S. House of Representatives is facing heat after a Republican colleague conflated Hamas and Palestinian civilians during a floor speech. Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowski of Illinois has announced her intention to force a vote of censure of the GOP Congressman, saying that his speech was a dangerous show of disregard for precision and accuracy when it comes to United States foreign policy. The controversy began on Monday, when Florida Representative Michael Waltz stood in the House floor to give a speech on Israel’s security and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. During his speech, Waltz condemned Hamas, the political and militant organization that governs the Gaza Strip, and accused them of wanting to kill innocent Palestinians. However, he then lumped all Palestinians together, igniting backlash from some of his colleagues. Rep. Schakowski was one of the first to condemn the language used by her GOP colleague. In a statement released immediately after the speech, she said that Waltz’s words were “reckless, incorrect, and unacceptable”, and that any conflation of Palestinian civilians with Hamas was a show of disrespect and misguided understanding of the current situation in the Middle East. Expressing her intent to act, Rep. Schakowski posted on Twitter later that day that she would put forward a motion of censure, and demand a vote on it. “I will not tolerate the dangerous misconception and irresponsible language used by the Florida Representative”, she said. Many of her colleagues showed their support for the planned action, including some members of the Republican party. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas publicly voiced his agreement with Schakowski, sharing his own acknowledgement that there is a distinct difference between Hamas and the citizens of Palestine. Overall, the public response has been overwhelmingly supportive of the motion of censure, and of Rep. Schakowski for standing up for peace and precision in foreign policy. If passed, it would be the first time ever that a motion of censure is issued under President Biden’s administration. It remains to be seen whether this measure will be approved by the House.