Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) referred to as the humanitarian disaster in Gaza a “genocide” in a social media, showing to be the primary Republican in Congress to make use of the time period to explain the scenario.
“It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” Greene stated in a submit on X on Monday evening.
Her remark got here as half of a bigger response criticizing fellow Republican Rep. Randy Superb (R-Fla.), one in every of three Jewish Republicans within the Home who joined the chamber after a particular election earlier this yr.
Greene dug into Superb over his current social media posts concerning the battle, together with denying that there’s hunger in Gaza.
“There is no starvation. Everything about the ‘Palestinian’ cause is a lie,” Superb stated in a submit on Sunday. Final week, Superb posted: “Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.”
Trump on Monday stated there was “real starvation” taking place in Gaza and that the U.S. would do extra to deal with it.
“I can only imagine how Florida’s 6th district feels now that their Representative, that they were told to vote for, openly calls for starving innocent people and children,” Greene stated, earlier than occurring to make her remark concerning the genocide.
“But a Jewish U.S. Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful. His awful statement will actually cause more antisemitism,” Greene stated.
Superb’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, and he has not but responded on social media.
Greene’s stance marks a significant break along with her get together, and an escalation of her criticism of Israel — and U.S. monetary assist for Israel — because the warfare in Gaza drags on.
Over the weekend she posted that “what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific.”
Earlier this month, Greene launched an modification to chop funding to Israel’s missile protection, which failed in a 6-422 vote.
Greene has beforehand been accused of antisemitism, most famously over a 2018 Fb submit that has come to be generally known as the “Jewish space laser” submit — although Greene by no means used that phrase.
Within the submit, Greene by which she floated {that a} “laser beam or light beam” from “space solar generators” may very well be in charge for wildfires in California, additionally mentioning the “Rothschild Inc.” Greene later stated she didn’t know the Rothschilds have lengthy been on the heart of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Greene additionally voted in opposition to an antisemitism consciousness invoice final yr, saying it could outline antisemitic conduct to incorporate remarks about Jews killing Jesus, which she stated went in opposition to the Bible.
