Bipartisan Resolution in the Michigan House to condemn Hamas is the focus of the DeVos-created group Michigan Freedom Fund’s ridiculous post

On Thursday, the DeVos-created and funded organization, the Michigan Freedom Fund (MFF), posted an article entitled, Michigan House Democrats Join Tlaib in Refusal To Condemn Hamas.

It is important to point out from the get go, that several Michigan House Democrats have co-sponsored the resolution to condemn Hamas, so the headline for the MFF post is misleading.

The MFF post begins by stating: 

Michigan House Democrat leadership join the ranks of extremists like US Rep. Rashida Tlaib by refusing to condemn the horrifying Oct. 7 attack on innocent Israeli citizens. State Representative Bill Schuette introduced a Resolution condemning the attacks that claimed over a thousand lives, including 25 Americans, and left thousands more injured. The resolution also calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas. The resolution was blocked by House Democrat Leadership in defiance of some of their own caucus members who signed on to the resolution. 

This is an interesting post for numerous reasons. First, the MFF post in primarily interested in condemning the Michigan Democratic Party leadership, specifically Rep. Joe Tate. Second, the MFF post also mentions Michigan’s Congressional Representative Rashida Tlaib, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Palestinians since she has been a member of Congress. However, Tlaib stated on Wednesday, in a comment quote in Michigan Advance:

“I do not support the targeting and killing of civilians, whether in Israel or Palestine,” Tlaib first told the Advance on Wednesday. “The fact that some have suggested otherwise is offensive and rooted in bigoted assumptions about my faith and ethnicity.” 

Therefore, it seems that the MFF post is not honest and not accurate about what they are claiming about Michigan Democrats. It is true that House Majority leader Joe Tate chose to send the resolution to the Government Operations Committee, but that doesn’t mean that the resolution is dead. 

Another point worth making has to do with Rep. Bill Schuette, who proposed the resolution condemning Hamas. In a statement he wrote last week, Schuette said,

“There can be no equivocation here. Broad and watered-down statements do not suffice. An atrocity occurred in Israel last weekend. Hamas, a terrorist organization targeted civilians, children and U.S. citizens. Hundreds are dead, hostages remain in captivity. To not speak on this issue is an abdication of our moral responsibility.”

It is always instructive to see such statement made, especially when they invoke the notion of “moral responsibility.” Rep. Shuette, like the Republican Party as well as the majority of the Democratic Party, has never condemned the Israeli terrorist attacks against Palestinians living in Gaza, not in 2008-2009, 2012, 2014 or 2021. These attacks by the Israeli military not only targeted civilians, but destroyed hospitals and other civil society structures, which according to International Law are war crimes.

It’s always about the other side

The Michigan Freedom Fund Communications Director,  Mary Drabik, who wrote the post for the MFF on October 11th, that Michigan is home to “over 85,000 Jews and around 2,500 Israelis,” although she doesn’t source those numbers. What Mary Drabik fails to mention is that Michigan is also home to thousands of Arab Americans, including Palestinians.

Having said all of this, the issue of some Democratic politicians not outright condemning Hamas is instructive, especially since the Democratic Party is also unhappy with members of Congress like Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Cory Bush. In an article in The Intercepted, it notes that Democratic Party members who are closely aligned with largest Pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), are the ones going after Tlaib and Bush. You will recall that one of the challengers to Rep. Tlaib, Janice Winfrey, had “secured contributions from United Democracy Project, a super PAC tied to American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying group.”

This is the dilemma of the Democratic Party, which has consistently supported Israel, both in principle and with billions in military aid. This blind support for Israel is not reflected in the growing number of Americans in recent that support the Palestinian struggle. When the Democrats attack their own for not standing with Israel, it further underscores the hypocrisy of US foreign policy in the Middle East.