Pro-Israel group targets Tlaib's Israel-Hamas stance with new ad

A pro-Israel group is set to target Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) with an ad campaign over her stance on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) is launching the ad Thursday in the Detroit market — an attempt to hit the progressive Democrat and a growing contingent of lawmakers who are calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East.

The war began Oct. 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,400 people. The Israeli military has vowed to eradicate the group and said it will continue strikes until the more than 200 civilians taken hostage by Hamas were returned.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress, was one of the 18 House co-sponsors of the resolution calling for a truce in the conflict, citing a growing humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza as civilians were largely cut off from clean water, food, medical supplies and fuel.

The six-figure ad, prepared to hit the airwaves in Tlaib’s district, also ridicules the lawmaker for refusing to condemn the attack by Hamas and failing to vote for additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile protection system. 

“She's one of only seven Democrats in Congress to vote against missile protection for Israel,” the voiceover in the ad states. “One of only nine Democrats against condemning the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas.”

DMFI President and CEO Mark Mellman, who is also an opinion contributor for The Hill, said Tlaib sides with “those who support Israel’s destruction.” 

“While the vast majority of elected officials — including President Biden, Vice President Harris, Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, and more than 90% of Democrats in Congress — support Israel’s right to defend itself in response to the brutal October 7th attacks by Hamas, Congresswoman Tlaib consistently sides with those who support Israel’s destruction,” Mellman said. 

“Rep. Tlaib’s positions are not just out of step, they’re dangerous," he added.

The ad also vocalizes that the congresswoman’s cease-fire legislation “would allow the terrorists to rearm themselves, and that she is “on the wrong side of history and humanity.” 

The pro-Israel group has scheduled the ad to run on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC, according to The New York Times. 

“The people in the Detroit area deserve to know the facts about her positions,” Mellman said. “Our ad clearly shows her wanton disregard for the safety of the citizens of one of the United States’ closest allies, Israel.”

The GOP-led House voted Wednesday against a resolution that would have censured the Michigan Democrat for her harsh criticism of Israel. In a surprise turn of events, 23 Republicans sided with Democrats to kill the resolution, many citing First Amendment rights or arguing that the language of the censure was simply off target. 

Tlaib, who is in her third term representing the Great Lake State's 12th District, has not faced much opposition during her reelection attempts. She was first elected in 2018, and her current term ends in 2025. 

The Democratic Majority for Israel is a 501(c)(4) organization that in 2022 raised $772,700, according to money-in-politics watchdog OpenSecrets.