Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Monday took aim at U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his firm stance on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which she called "peaceful".
The Michigan representative also hinted that Pompeo's likely replacement, Antony Blinken, would be less inclined to support the BDS.
When the presumptive President-elect Joe Biden announced that his pick for Secretary of State was Blinken, one person tweeted their support, calling it a "solid pick." Tlaib responded that she agreed, as long as she could still call out "[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's racist and inhumane policies."
There was an immediate condemnation of her tweet, with international human rights lawyer and political analyst Arsen Ostrovsky inferring that Tlaib had implied that because Blinken is Jewish, he would be less likely to uphold her First Amendment rights in criticizing Netanyahu and Israel.
Tlaib was also critisized Pompeo over his decision to withdraw funding from groups that boycott Israel.
"Sec. Pompeo has moved to suppress BDS, a peaceful protest movement protected by the 1st Amendment. I hope that Mr Blinken and President-Elect Biden’s Administration will change course from Trump’s State Department & not target or suppress support of Palestinian human rights," Tlaib tweeted.
Differing theories have been postulated - including that he might be eyeing the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential Election - for Pompeo's strong stance against BDS.
Under Pompeo, the U.S. also recently announced it will allow Israeli products originating from settlements to be labeled as "Made in Israel," as opposed to "Made in the West Bank."
Tlaib has been extremely vocal about her Palestinian heritage and her hostility toward the State of Israel as well as seeming indifference toward Jews.
Her slated appearance on a panel along with Peter Beinart, Barbara Ransby and Marc Lamont Hill to discuss "Dismantling Anti-Semitism, Winning Justice," has also caused consternation among many pro-Israel and Jewish activists, who maintain that she has no business being on it.