U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar has emerged as one of the most vocal — and hypocritical — members of Congress to criticize fellow Democrats who have shown sympathy with Palestinians following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Thanedar, of Detroit, said he was renouncing his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America over its response to the conflict and suggested U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib was an antisemite.
But Thanedar was not always a zealous supporter of Israel. While he was a state representative two years ago, Thanedar sponsored a resolution that called on Congress to end U.S. funding to Israel’s military. The resolution also labeled Israel as an “apartheid” state.
The resolution, which never reached the floor for a vote, urged the “Congress of the United States to enact policies that halt taxpayer funded aid to Israel, which supports the military detention of Palestinian children; the unlawful seizure, appropriation, and destruction of Palestinian property; forcible displacement, harm, and killing of civilians in the West Bank; or any further annexation of Palestinian land in violation of international law.”
The resolution was so alarming to Zionists that the United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel political action committee, spent more than $2.7 million on ads last year to support his congressional opponent, then-state Sen. Adam Hollier, a Detroit Democrat. The PAC bought an additional $1.4 million worth of ads attacking Thanedar.
In response to the state House resolution, Hollier called Thanedar an “existential threat” to Israel.
After the PAC began funding Hollier’s campaign, Thanedar told Metro Times last year that he regretted sponsoring the resolution and asked the co-sponsors of the measure to remove his name. At the time, Thanedar also slammed Hollier for taking the pro-Israel money.
“Allowing special interests to buy politicians is one of the most despicable and corrupting influences in our modern political system,” Thanedar said in a statement to Metro Times. “Adam invited this corruption into the 13th District. What the people need is a congressperson who will represent them — not another sold-out politician.”
A lot has changed in two years. Thanedar signed onto a bipartisan resolution “standing with Israel” this week, and over the summer, he traveled to Israel as part of a congressional delegation trip sponsored by the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs committee.
“My visit to Israel in August fully opened my eyes to the constant danger ordinary Israelis face every day,” Thanedar told Metro Times in a statement Friday. “Surrounded by adversaries, Israelis live in a state of constant alert and terror. The anti-Israeli rally in Time Square this past Sunday promoted by the NYC-DSA, where the bloodthirsty crowd cheered hatred, bigotry, and murder, sickened me and made me decide to renounce my membership in DSA. We must unequivocally stand with Israel and fight all terrorism and antisemitism across the globe without hesitation.”
The Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America fired back at Thanedar, saying he can’t renounce his membership because he was removed from the local group on Sept. 17.
“Detroit DSA chose not to endorse Shri Thanedar when he first ran for Congress,” the group wrote in a statement Friday. “He was recently expelled from our organization. Thanedar’s views are not, and have never been, representative of Detroit DSA. His sensationalist statement renouncing a membership he is not entitled to is a selfish distraction from the tragedy unfolding in the region.”
The local chapter of the socialist group also called Tlaib “a steadfast fighter for justice, from Wayne, MI to the West Bank.”
“Like thousands of metro Detroiters, she has family trapped in Palestine today,” the group said. “For decades, Israel has waged a campaign of violence, genocide, and apartheid against Palestinians who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and lives. Right now, Gaza, a region where half the population is children, is without power, water or fuel. We must act urgently and immediately to prevent the loss of more life.”
In an interview with the Jewish Insider on Thursday, Thanedar lambasted Tlaib for her response to Hamas’s attack on Israeli civilians, joining Republicans and some Democrats in their criticism of the only Palestinian American member of Congress.
“Calling this ‘resistance’ is dehumanizing. ... At a time like this, for a member of Congress to call them militants and resistance, as a result of whatever Israel may have done in the past is totally insensitive,” Thanedar said, “and we don’t need such hate and bigotry and antisemitism in the halls of Congress.”
Contrary to the rhetoric used by Thanedar and Republicans, Tlaib denounced the violence carried out by Hamas. But she also added context to the attack, saying Palestinians have been victimized by Israel for decades.
“The path to the future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance,” Tlaib said Sunday. “The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation and apartheid makes no one safer. No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence.”
Tlaib, whose grandmother still lives in the West Bank, which is Palestinian territory, has been a frequent critic of Israel’s harsh treatment of Palestinians.
In August 2019, under pressure from then-President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from entering the country due to their support for boycotting the Jewish state. A day later, Israeli authorities granted her permission under conditions that would have restricted her travel and included a written pledge not to “promote boycotts against Israel” while visiting.
But at no time did Tlaib condone the terrorist attack. That didn’t stop the harsh and misleading rhetoric directed at her.
Tlaib fired back at Thanedar, saying his job performance has been subpar.
“While he is busy posting memes, his residents are calling my office asking for my assistance because he is absent from doing his job,” Tlaib said Thursday in a statement. “He isn’t putting in the work of a public servant and is leaving his working-class communities across his district with no real advocate.”
Many Democrats have defended Tlaib.
“@RepRashida and her neighborhood service centers have *always* had an incredible constituent services team, which has been a model for many of us to follow,” state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, wrote on social media. “Detroiters know she has our back, and we’ve got hers.”
State rep. Abraham Aiyash, who is Muslim, agreed.
“Rashida’s constituent services apparatus should be a model-practice across the nation,” Aiyash wrote on social media. “She was a tremendous partner when we shared areas of Detroit.”
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