On August 23, 2019, Palestinian terrorists viciously murdered 17-year-old Rina Shnerb, a Jewish girl, in the West Bank according to TheBlaze. When the ghastly killing took place, Shnerb was hiking with her family at a popular tourist destination outside the West Bank location of Dolev. The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene after an improvised explosive device detonated. Sadly, Shnerb’s brother and father also suffered life-threatening injuries. The two were airlifted from the area.
Haaretz noted that “According to the military, it remains unclear whether the charge was hidden at the site of the explosion or thrown at the family that was hiking there. The army has ruled out the possibility that the charge was hurled out of a moving vehicle and said it appeared the device was home-made.”
The Israeli media outlet also revealed “the explosive device that was used was large, forceful and required advanced knowledge and skill to assemble. However, it has yet to be determined if the incident is tied to a major organization.” Authorities weren’t immediately sure who instigated the brutal attack. However, Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh seemed to celebrate the incident, referring to it as “heroic.”
U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat and member of the far-left group known as “The Squad,” was quick to tweet about the horrible event. While she first offered condolences for the Shnerb’s family, the Congresswoman quickly pivoted to apparently blame the murder on “Israeli occupation.”
“This is absolutely tragic & horrible,” Tlaib tweeted. “My heart goes out to Rina’s family. More than ever we need to support nonviolent approaches to ending the Israeli occupation and guaranteeing equal rights for all. Extremism that puts innocent lives at risk moves us no closer to peace.”
Since being sworn in to Congress earlier this year, Tlaib has been a constant, vocal critic of Israel. Along with fellow freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Tlaib is a staunch supporter of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, better known as BDS. When members of Congress voiced their disapproval of BDS, Tlaib reportedly insisted that “they forgot what country they represent.”
Unsurprisingly, Tlaib was exceedingly criticized for her tweet regarding Shnerb’s murder. One individual responded, “This is vile! Have you no shame? How dare you blame the murder of this beautiful teenage Israeli girl #RinaShnerb on the ‘occupation’? Can you not just blame the Palestinian terrorists that took her young life? This only underscores Israel was right to deny you entry!”
President Donald J. Trump has often battled with Tlaib, Omar, and fellow freshmen U.S. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. During an interview with left-leaning The Guardian that was published on August 24, 2019, Tlaib maintained that President Trump was “scared” of her and other members of the “Squad.” These comments were made after the Congresswoman recently canceled a planned trip to visit her grandmother in Israel and the resulting arguments with the President.
During the sit-down, Tlaib remarked, “It’s been very clear to me, especially this last week, that he’s scared of us. He’s afraid of women of color … because we’re not afraid of him and we’re not afraid to speak up and say that we have a white supremacist in the White House who has a hate agenda. He’s afraid because we have a real agenda for the American people.”
In addition to Tlaib, Omar was also planning a trip to Israel. Due to their strong rebukes of the country, they were initially blocked from entering it. According to Fox News, Israel relented and granted permission for Tlaib to come into the country in order to visit her Palestinian grandmother. The Congresswoman denied the offer due to her reluctance to follow the constraints put on her concerning her boycotts of Israel. Speaking at a press conference about her grandmother, Tlaib commented, “She said I’m her dream manifested. I’m her free bird so why would I come back and be caged and bow down?”
Regarding her remarks, Trump tweeted, “Sorry, I don’t buy Rep. Tlaib’s tears. I have watched her violence, craziness and, most importantly, WORDS, for far too long. Now tears? She hates Israel and all Jewish people. She is an anti-Semite. She and her 3 friends are the new face of the Democrat Party. Live with it!”
It will be interesting to see if Tlaib’s strong rhetoric about Israel will affect her chances of re-election in 2020. Regardless, her stance is earning her some enemies on Capitol Hill.
