SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — The war in the Middle East is waging between Israel and Hamas and in the meantime, a congressman from Michigan has been under scrutiny for allegedly calling Israel a terrorist state.
Congressman Shri Thanedar says his account on X was used by someone else to post a statement that did not come from him. Thanedar faced backlash after he appeared to criticize Israel online. But then with a few strokes of the key, he clarified to say it wasn’t him.
The post that’s since been deleted read:
“I can no longer stay silent on the genocide taking place in Palestine. Israel has paid off politicians for far too long. I know this means I’ll lose AIPAC financial support but I don’t need it. We need to come together to free Palestine from the terrorist state of Israel.”
Soon after, he stated:
“I was just hacked, and a misleading tweet was sent from my account. I have deleted the tweet and taken steps to secure my account.”
A longer statement added in part:
“We must ensure that our ally is always able to defend itself against external threats …”
In response, Rabbi Asher Lopatin with the Jewish Community Relations Council told 7 Action News, “We have no doubt he is a great supporter of this war of good against evil. Even if he hadn’t said it, I would have assumed he was hacked. That’s just not his position.”
Tuesday, we scheduled an interview to speak with Thanedar but later were contacted to say he would have to cancel to attend to an emergency.
“I want to know if my congressman believed in humanity, killing women and children,” said Nabih Ayad, founder of the Arab American Civil Rights League.
In response to what’s unfolded, Ayad also said, “I would want to know as a constituent where does he stand on this issue. That’s owed to the community.”
