Rep. Debbie Dingell oversees House Dems’ communications arm
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D., Mich.), who leads a committee tasked with communicating “where House Democrats stand” on key issues, recently paid tribute to an anti-Israel activist who hailed the leader of the terrorist group Hezbollah as a “hero” and has called for Jews to be sent “back to Poland.”
Dingell recognized Osama Siblani, the publisher of the Michigan-based Arab American News, in a submission to the Congressional Record on Jan. 28, according to House records. Dingell said Siblani’s “voice has rung loud and clear as an advocate for Arab lives around the world” and that his “efforts are worthy of commendation.”
For Siblani, those efforts include praise for the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah and anti-Israel rhetoric.
At a rally in Dearborn he organized on Sept. 25, for example, Siblani hailed then-Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a “hero.” When chants of “death to Israel” broke out during his speech, Siblani responded, “Believe me, they will take care of the job,” an apparent reference to Hezbollah, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. Siblani issued a message to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Jews: “We will take you back to Poland.”
He has urged Arabs to “fight” against Israel with “stones,” “guns,” or “their hands.” Siblani has lauded Hamas terrorists as “freedom fighters,” and accused pro-Israel lawmakers of being “bought” by the “Zionist lobby.”
Dingell’s homage to Siblani could raise questions for House Democratic leaders, many of whom have blamed the party’s communications failures and embrace of extremists for its election losses in November.
Dingell serves as chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, which is in charge of “developing and supporting a strong Caucus-wide message that forcefully communicates where House Democrats stand and sharply contrasts that with the extreme policies of House Republicans.”
Dingell is not the first Democrat to court Siblani, who launched the Arab American News in Dearborn in 1984.
Officials in the Biden-Harris administration met multiple times with Siblani last year in hopes of shoring up waning support with Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities. Siblani, one of the communities’ most influential leaders, supported the “uncommitted” movement to boycott the Biden-Harris ticket over the administration’s position on the Israel-Hamas war.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, said he was “deeply disturbed” that the White House would consult with Siblani given his “outright support” for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D., Mich.), a leading contender for president in 2028, hosted Siblani on a junket to the Middle East last week, where the Whitmer delegation met with the sheikh of Ras al-Khaimah, one of the emirates of the UAE, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Rep. Haley Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat considering a run for Michigan governor, criticized Whitmer for traveling with Siblani.
“I have never met Siblani, I don’t intend to meet him or affiliate with him and I can’t condone that type of relationship,” she told Jewish Insider. “Certainly people have the ability to express their First Amendment rights, but I do not intend to take any trips abroad with Osama Siblani or anyone with those types of beliefs as part of a government mission.”
Dingell’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
