Latest news with #HouseForeignAffairsCommittee
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Marjorie Taylor Greene calls crisis in Gaza ‘genocide,' first Republican lawmaker to do so
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that a 'genocide' is taking place in Gaza, making her the first Republican in the US Congress to use the term to describe the humanitarian crisis unfolding there. In a social media post on Monday evening, Greene wrote: 'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that October. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,'. Her comments reflect a growing shift in tone among some Republicans, and stand in contrast to the position of most of her party, which has consistently supported Israel since the conflict began. Over the past several weeks, Greene has gradually increased her criticism of how the war is being handled. Earlier this month, she said Israel had bombed a Catholic church in Gaza and that the area's population was being wiped out. She had also tried to remove $500 million in US military aid to Israel from the annual defence spending bill. That proposal failed, with only six members of Congress supporting it two Republicans and four Democrats, including Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Greene had previously clashed with Tlaib over Gaza. Two years ago, she led a failed effort to censure the Democrat for comments made at a pro-Palestinian rally, accusing her of antisemitism and support for terrorism. Greene's comments this week were also a direct response to remarks made by Florida Republican Randy Fine. In a social media post last week, Fine dismissed images of starving children in Gaza as 'Muslim terror propaganda' and wrote: 'Release the hostages… until then, starve away.' Fine, a first-term lawmaker and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has defended Israel's military actions and framed criticism of its operations as unfair. Greene rejected that position. On Sunday, she said in a post that she could 'unequivocally say' that the killings in Israel on 7 October were horrific 'just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific.' I can unequivocally say that what happened to innocent people in Israel on Oct 7th was horrific. Just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end! — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) July 27, 2025 President Donald Trump, who was in Scotland on Monday to open a new golf course, also spoke about the crisis. He said he believed there was real starvation in Gaza and called for more aid. 'That's real starvation stuff I see it, and you can't fake that,' Trump said after meetings with European leaders. 'We have to get the kids fed,'. Though Greene made her recent comments before Trump's remarks, others in the pro-Trump faction of the Republican Party have since echoed similar concerns about the need to protect civilians. (With inputs from The New York Times)
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Marjorie Taylor Greene is first Republican lawmaker to call Gaza crisis a ‘genocide'
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Greene's comments were a direct rebuke of one Republican colleague in particular, Rep. Randy Fine of Florida, who has drawn intense criticism for comments he made on social media last week calling the images of starving children in Gaza a campaign of 'Muslim terror propaganda.' Advertisement 'Release the hostages,' Fine wrote, adding, 'until then, starve away.' Fine, a first-term lawmaker who has been outspoken in Congress about his Jewish faith and staunchly pro-Israel views, made the remarks the same day that he was elevated to a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the influential panel that focuses on international policy. Fine made his comments before President Donald Trump said there was 'real starvation' happening in Gaza and made commitments to offer additional support to increase aid. Advertisement 'That's real starvation stuff -- I see it, and you can't fake that,' Trump said Monday after a series of meetings with European leaders while in Scotland. 'We have to get the kids fed.' Greene had already started to make her pivot before Trump's comments, as had some others in the MAGA movement. 'Standing with Israel means eliminating every barbaric Hamas terrorist,' Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas wrote on social media, in a quote Greene recirculated. 'It also means rejecting the killing and starvation of children in Gaza.' Earlier this month, she said in a statement that: 'Israel bombed the Catholic Church in Gaza, and that entire population is being wiped out as they continue their aggressive war in Gaza.' The remarks were made after a failed bid, led by Greene, to strip $500 million of American military funding that Congress had approved as part of annual defense support for Israel. The effort failed with only six members, two Republicans and four Democrats, voting in favor. That coalition included Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., the only Palestinian American serving in Congress. The pairing of Greene and Tlaib on the effort to revoke the funding, for Israel's Iron Dome weapons system, was an unlikely one. Greene two years ago led a failed effort to censure Tlaib, accusing her of 'antisemitic activity' and 'sympathizing with terrorists' after the Democrat spoke at a pro-Palestinian protest about the 'dehumanizing conditions' in Gaza and called for 'lifting the blockade' against humanitarian aid. On Sunday, Greene posted on social media that she could 'unequivocally say that what happened to innocent people in Israel on Oct 7th was horrific. Just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in .
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide'
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who often casts herself as the standard-bearer of MAGA politics on Capitol Hill, said a 'genocide' is underway in Gaza, becoming the first member of her party in Congress to use the term as she condemned the humanitarian disaster unfolding there. 'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,' Ms. Greene said in a social media post on Monday evening. It was the strongest in a series of escalating statements she has made in recent weeks criticizing Israel's conduct of the war and calling for action to end the suffering in Gaza. The stance is a clear break with the vast majority of Republicans in Congress, who have made unconditional support for Israel a hallmark of their foreign policy approach. Ms. Greene's comments were a direct rebuke of one Republican colleague in particular, Representative Randy Fine of Florida, who has drawn intense criticism for comments he made on social media last week calling the images of starving children in Gaza a campaign of 'Muslim terror propaganda.' 'Release the hostages,' Mr. Fine wrote, adding, 'until then, starve away.' Mr. Fine, a first-term lawmaker who has been outspoken in Congress about his Jewish faith and staunchly pro-Israel views, made the remarks the same day that he was elevated to a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the influential panel that focuses on international policy. Mr. Fine made his comments before President Trump said there was 'real starvation' happening in Gaza and made commitments to offer additional support to increase aid. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
US applauds Pakistan's backchannel role on Iran
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, May 21, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed appreciation for Pakistan's continued willingness to play a constructive role in mediating conversations with Iran and its commitment to preserving regional stability during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. "The two also discussed prospects for deepening bilateral counterterrorism cooperation, including countering ISIS-K, and the upcoming US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in Islamabad this August," the State Department said in the readout of the meeting. "The Secretary underscored the importance of expanding mutually beneficial bilateral trade and exploring prospects for enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals and mining sectors," it added. In a post on X, Dar described the meeting as "a comprehensive discussion on the full spectrum of bilateral relations," reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to a long-term partnership with the US. He said the talks included a renewed focus on economic, trade, investment, IT/AI, and counterterrorism cooperation. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the United States and Pakistan were "very close" to a trade deal that could come within days, but comments from the US after Dar met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned no timeline. "I think we are very close to finalising a deal with US. Our teams have been here in Washington, discussing, having virtual meetings and a committee has been tasked by the prime minister to fine-tune now," Dar said in a discussion at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. "It's not going to be months, not even weeks, I would say (just) days," he said. Under US President Donald Trump, Washington has attempted to renegotiate trade agreements with many countries that he threatened with tariffs over what he calls unfair trade relations. Many economists dispute Trump's characterisation. The US State Department and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in separate statements after Rubio's meeting with Dar, said the two stressed in their discussion the importance of expanding trade and ties in critical minerals and mining. A post by Rubio on X after the meeting and the State Department's statement mentioned no timeline for finalising a trade deal. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has underlined the need for a sustainable architecture of peace in South Asia and said the United States as a global power and a partner has a constructive and stabilising role to play. Talking about ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May 2025, he said the US emerged as the credible arbiter of peace and stability in South Asia. He thanked US President Trump for facilitating ceasefire between India and Pakistan. "We are committed to sustaining the ceasefire unlike our neighbour. We believe in peace and we never escalated as the first mover and we only acted in self-defence according to the United Nations charter," he explained. He said Pakistan's relationship with the United States was enduring, wide ranging and evolving. "It has proved to be a consequential partnership whenever the two countries converged on global issues. We are encouraged by the upward trajectory in our bilateral partnership since President Trump assumed office." He said he held a very productive meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the two sides agreed on our shared commitment to deepen and broaden relations between Pakistan and the United States. "Our nations are coming closer and we have already made progress in relations in the span of six months." He recalled that in his joint address to the Congress, President Trump recognized Pakistan's vital assistance in battling global terrorism. He said the world was changing at a rapid pace and old certainties were giving way to the new realities. Pakistan believed in peace through resilience and responsibility, he stressed adding Pakistan was a youthful nation of 240 million people, fifth largest in the world and a nuclear power. He said, "We are peace seeking and peace loving nation and stability in South Asia is vital for us and for the world." Pakistan believed in the paradigm of peace through strength and dialogue to resolve issues, he said adding Pakistan has taken tough decisions to surmount certain challenges to its economy. "We concluded the successful IMF programme in pursuit of structural and macroeconomic reforms," he apprised. "Recent improvements in macroeconomic indicators are evident by the improvement in current account balance, declining inflation and rebuilding of foreign exchange reserves," he informed. He said terrorism remained a challenge for Pakistan and the government was fighting back. "Democracy in Pakistan is not only functioning but thriving and the government is committed to human development with substantial investments in health, skill development and social protection," he noted. The DPM said. "In the realm of governance and political reform we remain committed to deepening rule of law, freedom of expression and pluralism, the values we share with the American people."
eNCA
5 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
US lawmakers push for sanctions against ANC officials
JOHANNESBURG - The US may review its diplomatic relations with South Africa. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the US-SA Bilateral Relations Review Act. It still has to be sent to the House and then Senate and be ratified by the President before it becomes law. This may still take a while with the House in recess until September. The bill also proposes sanctions on officials over alleged ties to adversaries like China, Russia, Iran and Hamas. AfriForum is welcoming the passing of the bill, while the ANC says it will not compromise its principles.
