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Biden lauds Israel critic Rep. Tlaib as ‘fighter’ after tense tarmac chat

President Biden on Tuesday praised as a “fighter” Israel critic Rep. Rashida Tlaib — a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement who once tweeted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — following his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Biden and the Palestinian-American congresswoman engaged in what appeared at times to be a tense eight-minute chat on the tarmac of Detroit’s airport before he praised her at a nearby Ford facility, which he toured wearing an anti-COVID-19 mask pursuant to company policy, a White House official said. 

Biden three times referred to “Rashid” Tlaib during his speech, using the masculine version of the Michigan Democrat’s name.

“Rashid Tlaib — where’s Rashid? I’ll tell you what, Rashid, I want to say to you that I admire your intellect, I admire your passion and I admire your concern for so many other people,” Biden said.

“It is from my heart that I pray that your grand mom and family are well and I promise you I’m going to do everything to see that they are on the West Bank. You are a fighter and God thank you for being a fighter.”

Rashida Tlaib speaks at a march in solidarity with Palestinians. ZUMAPRESS.com

Tlaib, whose parents are from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is a prominent critic of the Israeli response to a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas and allied group Islamic Jihad from Gaza.

Tiaib has colorfully denounced Israel’s “apartheid government” and called on Biden to scrap a pending $735 million arms sale that she said could be used to “kill children and families.

Biden last week defended Israel when Defense Forces launched airstrikes on Gaza in response to rockets fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv by the Islamic fundamentalist groups. But on Monday, he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue a ceasefire – which Republican critics denounced as a break with Israel.

The president spoke with Tlaib unmasked on the tarmac but wore a mask indoors at the Ford plant. Critics accuse him of sending mixed messages on whether to comply with new CDC guidance that vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks indoors. But a White House official told The Post he was simply abiding by company policy when interacting with Ford employees. He shed the mask for his remarks.

Footage of the tarmac encounter between Biden and Tlaib was shared with TV outlets that cover the White House but was not immediately published online. Snippets of the encounter showed Biden speaking with Tlaib and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).

A ball of fire erupts from a building in Gaza City’s Rimal residential district. AFP via Getty Images

According to a pool report, Biden shook Tlaib’s hand before and after their conversation. Dingell, who got a hug from the president, told reporters afterward they discussed with Biden “a lot of things.” Tlaib declined to comment.

Both sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict are reporting civilian casualties, particularly in poor and crowded Gaza, which the Islamist party has controlled since a 2007 Palestinian civil war.

Tlaib is among the most strident of a bloc of pro-Palestinian left-wing Democrats. In a Monday TV appearance she said, “Enough President Biden, you will not do this on our watch. You have to speak out against this violence in a very aggressive way that holds Netanyahu and his leadership accountable.”

Tlaib, a founding member of the “Squad” of Progressive Democrats in Congress, has been backed up by a growing faction of Israel critics including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (i-Vt.).

Sanders wrote this week on Twitter: “The devastation in Gaza is unconscionable. We must urge an immediate ceasefire. The killing of Palestinians and Israelis must end. We must also take a hard look at nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel. It is illegal for U.S. aid to support human rights violations.”

But the White House and Biden have been careful to denounce Hamas. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly called Hamas a terrorist group on Friday.

The White House said Monday that Biden expressed to Netanyahu “his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks [and] welcomed efforts to address inter-communal violence and to bring calm to Jerusalem.”

“He encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians. The two leaders discussed progress in Israel’s military operations against Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza,” the White House said, adding that Biden “expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed U.S. engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end.”

Rockets are launched towards Israel from the southern Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images

More hawkish Republicans criticized Biden’s support for a ceasefire. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said “all the usual suspects are wringing their hands about a ceasefire, which is the equivalent of Hamas propaganda. We’ll have a ceasefire when Israel defeats its terrorist enemies.”

Israel has not launched an invasion of Gaza to defeat Hamas.