Congresswoman faces criticism over tweet on Israel holding body of Palestinian
Rep. Rashida Tlaib tweeted in support of Mai Afana's family, which has not gotten her body back from Israel after she was killed allegedly attempting to attack Israeli soldiers.
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is being criticized for a tweet she posted about Israel not releasing the body of a Palestinian woman who allegedly attacked soldiers. Israeli and Palestinian sources reported conflicting information on the incident at the time.
On Saturday, Tlaib tweeted about the efforts of Khuloud Afana to retrieve her daughter Mai’s body from the Israeli authorities. Tlaib said that the older Afana is “fighting to be able to bury her daughter & begin her healing.” Tlaib described the late Afana as “a mother, loving daughter & successful PhD student.”
“She was killed by the Israeli government last June. Israel won't release her body to her family,” said Tlaib.
Israeli and Palestinian authorities offered divergent accounts on Afana’s death in June. The Israeli military said the woman attempted to run over Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and then exited the vehicle brandishing a knife before they shot her. The Palestinian Authority said she was shot by Israeli forces after driving down a road that was under construction for military purposes.
