Rashida Tlaib slams US bill to ban 'made in Palestine' labelling

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has slammed attempts by lawmakers to ban the label 'Made in Palestine', after a Senate Judiciary hearing on Tuesday was used to promote the proposal.

The Palestinian-American representative urged her fellow lawmakers to vote against the bill, saying that a 'yes' vote would be "erasing the existence of Palestinians".

Tlaib, a member of the Democrat's left-leaning 'The Squad' bloc,  has consistently criticised Israeli abuses against Palestinians.

"It seeks to erase Palestine, from products produced by Palestinians on Palestinian farms," Tlaib said on the House floor.

"It requires products, from large potion of Palestine, including on including settlements, defined under international law, to be labelled 'made in Israel'."

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, however, their expansion has continued under successive Israeli governments, most notably with the current one.

The international community, including the US, do not recognise the settlements as part of Israel, however Washington has long faced criticism for doing little to curb their expansion.

In the same speech on Wednesday, Tlaib slammed lawmakers' use of a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the murder of Palestinian-American child Wadea al-Fayoume, to launch attacks on Palestinians and their advocates.

Al-Fayoume was stabbed to death in October 2023 by his mother's landlord in what authorities have described as an anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim attack.

“Anti-Arab, anti Muslim and anti Palestinian hate was on full display at the senates Judiciary Committee meeting," Tlaib said.

"A hearing that-was intended Mr Speaker, to address The deadly hatred that killed six-year-old boy Wadea. He was stabbed 26 times in Chicago. That's what our senators used, that moment to promote the very hate that is against many of our communities."

According to a report by The Chicago Sun Times on the hearing, Republican representatives offered no condolences to Wadea's mother, who was also injured in the attack that killed her son.

The republicans present, including Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, reportedly used the opportunity to speak about alleged anti-semitism on US college campuses

During the hearing, Republican Senator John Kennedy pressed one of the witnesses, Arab American Institute executive director Maya Berry, on whether she supports Hamas and Hezbollah.

"You support Hamas, don't you?" Kennedy was quoted as saying to Berry by the Chicago Sun Times.

"I think it is exceptionally disappointing that you are looking at an Arab American witness before you and saying, 'You support Hamas,'" Berry replied, rejecting the accusations.

Tlaib, a Michigan representative and progressive Democrat, has shed light on Israel’s brutal ongoing war on Gaza which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and injured over 90,000 others so far.

She has also refused to explicitly back Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign over the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza.