Jewish Democrats introduce resolution condemning ‘bigoted’ GOP bill to expel Palestinians from US

Two Jewish House Democrats are leading the reproach of Republican calls to expel Palestinians from the United States, with the pair calling the effort “un-American.”

Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) introduced a resolution on Tuesday condemning Republican efforts to remove Palestinians from U.S. soil, particularly the bill led by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) called the Safeguarding Americans from Extremism Act. The act seeks to prevent “Palestinian terrorists” from entering the country by halting the Department of Homeland Security’s issuance of visas or granting asylum to those with a Palestinian Authority passport. It also would expel any immigrants who entered the country on or after Oct. 1.

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The two-page resolution filed by Goldman and Landsman, who have been adamant pro-Israel lawmakers, states that Zinke’s bill “dangerously conflates Palestinians with Hamas” and is “un-American, bigoted, and is designed to inflame tensions which could result in violence.”

“Calls to expel Palestinians from the United States are racist, xenophobic and have no place in the government of the United States,” Goldman said in a statement. “We cannot stand for rhetoric that fans the flames of hate in this nation. The anti-American proposal to expel an entire people from this country must be condemned.”

Landsman said efforts to remove Palestinians from U.S. soil or prevent them from entering the country are “not who we are.”

“And it’s going to get people hurt. We need these folks to pull back on this dangerous rhetoric and to stop adding fuel to this fire,” Landsman continued. “It’s not helping the Israelis, it’s certainly not helping the Palestinians, it’s absolutely undercutting our role in pursuing peace and stability in the region and here at home.”

House Republicans introduced a similar bill to Zinke’s last month seeking to block the Biden administration from granting visas to people with Palestinian passports. Zinke’s bill takes the matter a step further by blocking access to the country and removing those who had entered after Israel declared war on Hamas.

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Goldman was one of two U.S. lawmakers visiting Israel with his family when Hamas attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7. Though expressing support for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians, he recently received backlash from pro-Palestinian protesters at his New York district office two weeks ago, when vandals wrote the phrases “Blood on ur hands,” “Let Gaza live,” and “Free Palestine” in graffiti on the office’s exterior.

Landsman and Goldman’s rebuke of Zinke and other Republicans’ rhetoric is rare. It is more common to condemn or censure House members rather than file a resolution. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was censured on Nov. 7 for “promoting false narratives” about the Oct. 7 attack. Only four Republicans voted against the measure, and 22 Democrats joined the GOP in passing it.