Rashida Tlaib Condemns US-Backed ‘Bloodbath’ While Biden Labels Israeli Strikes on Lebanon ‘Justice’

President Joe Biden and Representative Rashida Tlaib offered starkly contrasting viewpoints on Saturday regarding Israel’s heavy bombardment of Lebanon over the last 24 hours, an operation that resulted in numerous casualties, including prominent Hezbollah operatives.

“We are bankrolling this massacre,” declared Tlaib (D-Mich.) on social media, referencing a post by Zeteo‘s Prem Thakker that included footage of the Israeli offensive starting Friday while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Tlaib, the sole Palestinian American in Congress and an outspoken critic of Israel’s prolonged actions in Gaza, further stated, “Sending additional troops and bombs to the region does nothing to promote peace.” She accused the U.S. government of aiding Netanyahu’s alleged genocidal actions.

In the content shared by Tlaib, Thakker revealed that “the U.S. had advance notice of this significant Israeli assault on Beirut,” which occurred shortly after the U.S. approved an additional $8.7 billion in aid to Israel.

Tlaib also mentioned receiving “urgent calls” from Americans trying to escape Lebanon, criticizing the U.S. Department of State for its failure to protect American citizens, declaring, “they are failing AGAIN.”

Meanwhile, Biden began his address on Saturday afternoon by confirming the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a fact earlier acknowledged by the Iran-supported Lebanese group, raising concerns of an escalating regional conflict.

“Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist organization he commanded, Hezbollah, have been implicated in the deaths of hundreds of Americans across four decades of terror,” Biden commented. “His elimination by an Israeli airstrike serves as justice for his numerous victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”

Biden continued:

The operation that eliminated Nasrallah occurred within the larger framework of conflict initiated by Hamas’ massacre on October 7, 2023. Nasrallah made the critical decision the following day to collaborate with Hamas and establish what he termed a “northern front” against Israel.

The United States firmly backs Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other groups supported by Iran. Just yesterday, I instructed my defense secretary to bolster the defense readiness of U.S. military forces in the Middle East to curb aggression and mitigate the risk of a wider regional conflict.

Our goal is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic efforts. In Gaza, we are pursuing a ceasefire and hostage release plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. In Lebanon, negotiations are underway to ensure safe returns for residents to their homes in both Israel and southern Lebanon. It is time to conclude these agreements, eliminate threats to Israel, and bring greater stability to the broader Middle East region.

While the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) praised Biden for “supporting our democratic ally Israel,” journalists globally and other commentators noted his omission of any mention of civilian casualties.

Ali Abunimah, director of The Electronic Intifada, was among those who criticized Biden’s depiction of Nasrallah’s assassination as “justice for his many victims” amidst an Israeli operation that claimed numerous lives.

“Absolutely depraved, and with this perverse, criminal rationale by Biden, those who attempted to assassinate Trump were also agents of ‘justice,'” remarked Abunimah, referencing former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the November election.

Middle East specialist Assal Rad condemned Biden’s justification, stating, “Biden describes massive bombings in a packed residential zone that demolished six apartment buildings as ‘a measure of justice.’ The flagrant disregard for international law and the dangerous precedent being set should alarm us all.”

Rad also criticized Biden’s calls for a ceasefire, arguing, “This is absurd. You can’t supply the funding and armaments to perpetuate the conflict *without* conditions, contort humanitarian law to grant Israel complete impunity, dismiss every international body seeking accountability, and then claim your ‘goal is to de-escalate.'”

Others remembered Israel’s 2004 elimination of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin, which also claimed the lives of seven others. The administration of former Republican U.S. President George W. Bush, who initiated the global War on Terror following the September 11, 2001 attacks, did not issue a strong condemnation like some European leaders, but a State Department spokesperson stated at the time that “we are deeply troubled” by the attack.

As’ad Abukhalil, a Lebanese American professor at California State University, Stanislus, declared on Saturday that “no U.S. president EVER has permitted unrestrained Israeli aggression in the Middle East like Biden has.”

Abukhalil warned that “the U.S. will suffer for years from Biden’s Middle East policies,” which he described as “more extensive [than] Bush’s.”

Biden, initially aiming for reelection in November, decided against running after a poor debate performance against Trump, passing the candidacy to Vice President Kamala Harris. Following Biden’s statement, the White House issued a similar one from Harris, which also received AIPAC’s endorsement.

“Hassan Nasrallah was a terrorist responsible for the deaths of countless people in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and globally over decades. Today, justice has been served to the victims of Hezbollah,” Harris stated. “My commitment to Israel’s security is steadfast. I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

“President Biden and I are committed to preventing a broader regional conflict,” she added. “We are actively working on diplomatic solutions along the Israel-Lebanon border to ensure safe returns for people on both sides. Diplomacy remains our preferred approach to safeguard civilians and secure lasting stability in the region.”

In response, Margaret Zaknoen DeReus, executive director at the California-based Institute for Middle East Understanding, noted, “Like Biden, not a single word from the VP, the candidate of joy & freedom, about the over 1,000 Lebanese men, women, and children killed by Israel. Not a mention of the hundreds of thousands displaced, entire city blocks razed. We are invisible to this [administration].”

The anti-war organization CodePink reacted to both statements on social media, criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s belief that “leveling a residential area with… bombs constitutes ‘justice.'”