Rep. Hillary Scholten continues to support genocide and she voted to criminalize speech

Within the past week, Rep. Hillary Scholten has once again demonstrated her ideological commitment to Zionism.

On April 16th, Rep. Scholten voted for House Resolution 833, which condemns the slogan, ”from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The text of this resolution is not only disgusting, it is filled with unsubstantiated claims.  Just as egregious is the fact that the resolution ends by saying, anyone who calls for the eradication of Israel and the Jewish people are antisemitic and must always be condemned. 

This phrase, ”from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” has been interpreted by zionists to mean that Palestinians want to wipe out the Jewish people. This is a ridiculous claim, one that the Palestinian historian Maha Nassar rejects. Nassar’s take on this slogan means: 

Simply put, the majority of Palestinians who use this phrase do so because they believe that, in 10 short words, it sums up their personal ties, their national rights and their vision for the land they call Palestine. And while attempts to police the slogan’s use may come from a place of genuine concern, there is a risk that tarring the slogan as antisemitic—and therefore beyond the pale—taps into a longer history of attempts to silence Palestinian voices.

Another excellent source is the “Haymarket/Verso published book, From the River to the Sea: Essays for a Free Palestine.”

The other thing that Rep. Scholten voted for this week, was to provide Israel with more military aid. On Saturday, April 20th, Scholten voted with most Republicans for The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024. This bill will provide an additional $26.38 billion to support Israel in its effort to defend itself against Iran and its proxies, and to reimburse U.S. military operations in response to recent attacks. The breakdown for how US taxpayer money will be spent is as follows:

• $4 billion to replenish Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems.
• $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system to counter short-range rockets and mortar threats.
• $3.5 billion for the procurement of advanced weapons systems, defense articles, and defense services through the Foreign Military Financing Program.
• $1 billion to enhance the production and development of artillery and critical munitions.
• $4.4 billion to replenish defense articles and defense services provided to Israel.
• $2.4 billion for current U.S. military operations in the region in response to recent attacks. 
• Provides additional flexibility for transfers of defense articles to Israel from U.S. stockpiles held abroad.
• Prohibits funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
• $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance – including emergency food, shelter and basic services – to populations suffering crises

So, despite more than 6 months of the Israeli assault on Gaza, which has caused some 33,000 civilian deaths and has been named by international courts and numerous countries around the world as genocide, Rep. Scholten choses to side with the Israel. Rep. Scholten stated that she joined Republicans in voting for more funding to commit genocide, as well as voting for the following bills that supports Israel and vilifies Iran.

• H.Res.1142 – Condemning Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.
• H.R. 3033 – The Solidify Iran Sanctions Act to remove the sunset provision in the Iran Sanctions Act.
• H.R. 6603 – No Technology for Terror Act to restrict the re-export or transfer of U.S. goods from one foreign country to Iran.
• H.R. 5917– The Strengthening Tools to Counter the Use of Human Shields Act to allow the President to impose sanctions on individuals or groups who use humans as shields.
• H.R. 5826 – No Paydays to Hostage Takers Act to bar U.S. admittance of sanctioned officials for United Nations meetings.

So not only does Rep. Hillary Scholten unconditionally support Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians, she voted for a resolution that equates Palestinian self determination with antisemitism, and she voted for a series of bills that demonizes and punishes Iran. It is way past the time to finally acknowledge that Rep. Hillary Scholten is a military hawk, a war monger and someone who uphold US Imperialism.