HuffPost reports:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is pushing back against Republican lawmakers and accusing them of twisting her words to push a “racist and hateful agenda.”

Tlaib, who in January became the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, spoke about the Holocaust and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict during an interview with Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast on Sunday. When asked to elaborate on her support for a one-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, Tlaib mentioned the recent commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day in the U.S., then explained how and why she felt “humbled” that her ancestors had created “a safe haven” for the Jewish people.

Tlaib said:

There’s, you know, there’s a kind of a calming feeling, I always tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence, in many ways, had been wiped out … in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time.

… I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that [safe haven] in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them, and so when I think about one-state, I think about the fact that why can’t we do it in a better way? … Why can’t we all be free and safe together?

Tlaib also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party for “giving up” on the two-state option. [Continue reading…]