Democrats in the Michigan state House of Representatives prevented a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel from being voted on by lawmakers Thursday.
The resolution was sponsored by 53 Michigan House lawmakers, including multiple Democrats, but was unable to clear the threshold to force a vote after Democratic leadership refused to take it up. Republican State Rep. Bill Schuette introduced the resolution, which called for lawmakers to “condemn the abhorrent violence perpetrated by Hamas in October 2023, call for the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and support Israel’s right to self-defense.”
The resolution gained the support of six of the 56 Democrats in the Michigan House, but Democrat House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash took issue with the resolution for not acknowledging the “mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” Michigan Advance reported.
“I think any conversation around what is happening in Israel and Palestine that makes no acknowledgment of the 70-plus year occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people is disrespectful,” said Aiyash, who represents Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority city near Detroit. “It is a disservice to the complexity and the humanity of the people that live in that region. If we want to talk about justice, [if] we want to talk about human rights, [if] we want to talk about protecting civilians, then we must include the conversation around the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip, who for decades have endured mistreatment.”
