The House of Representatives approved funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system on Thursday, following a fraught vote that exposed divisions among Democrats.
Just nine members of the House voted "nay" to the $1 billion in funding—eight Democrats and one Republican—and the measure was approved by 420 votes to 9, with two members voting "present."
Though the final result was decisive and bipartisan, the debate on the House floor proved contentious as Representative Rashida Tlaib accused Israel of being an "apartheid state," earning a strong rebuke from fellow Democratic Representative Ted Deutch.
The Democrats who voted against the funding were: Cori Bush of Missouri; André Carson of Indiana; Jesús García of Illinois; Raúl Grijalva of Arizona; Marie Newman of Illinois; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
They were joined by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky. He appeared to explain his vote on Twitter by pointing to his position opposing foreign aid.
Two members voted "present"—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Henry Johnson of Georgia, both Democrats, while Republican Debbie Lesko of Arizona did not vote. Lesko missed the vote because she is at home on the advice of her doctor and will undergo surgery to remove her gallbladder.
Ocasio-Cortez changed her vote from "nay" to "present" in the minutes before the vote closed and was in tears on the House floor, huddled with colleagues. She had been criticized by pro-Israel groups for her opposition to funding the Iron Dome.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, strongly opposed the measure and her remarks led to accusations of anti-Semitism from another Democratic lawmaker.
"I will not support an effort to enable and support war crimes, human rights abuses and violence," Tlaib said. "The Israeli government is an apartheid regime."
Tlaib was criticized for her remarks by Republican Representative Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, who said she opposed the measure because of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party.
Representative Ted Deutch of Florida, a Democrat, also took aim at Tlaib.
"I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state," Deutch said.
"To falsely characterize the state of Israel is consistent with those who, let's be clear, it's consistent with those who advocate for the dismantling of the one Jewish state in the world," he said.
"When there is no place on the map for one Jewish state, that's anti-Semitism and I reject that," Deutch added.
