Florida State Republican Lawmaker Under Fire for Controversial Comments on Palestinians

Outrage continues to mount over a public comment made by a Florida state Republican lawmaker, Michelle Salzman, calling for all Palestinians to die. The remarks were made during a debate in the state legislature about calling for a ceasefire in Israel's invasion of Gaza. The assault has resulted in the death of over 10,000 Palestinians, including many children. This came after Hamas fighters attacked Israel, resulting in the death of at least 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages.

During the debate, Democratic Florida state representative Angie Nixon made a passionate speech in support of a ceasefire resolution, lamenting the death toll of Palestinians. In response, Salzman callously exclaimed, "All of them." Nixon was visibly taken aback by the remark.

The Florida state house, subsequently, voted 104-2 to reject Nixon's resolution. Despite this, Salzman's office has remained silent and has not responded to requests for comment.

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair-Florida), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the US, strongly condemned Salzman's comments. They characterized them as a "chilling call for genocide" and criticized the dehumanization of Palestinians perpetuated by supporters of Israeli apartheid.

This incident follows the recent censure of Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in the US Congress. Tlaib has been accused of promoting false narratives and calling for the destruction of Israel. In Florida, demands for Salzman's censure are growing from those who oppose her controversial remarks.

The situation in Israel and Palestine remains tense, with Israel agreeing to limited humanitarian pauses while rejecting a five-day ceasefire deal proposed by Palestinian militant groups in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages. The US president, Joe Biden, has stated that a ceasefire is currently unlikely, signaling a prolongation of the conflict.