Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) admitted in a recent interview that she experiences a "calming feeling" whenever she thinks about the Holocaust because her Palestinian ancestors helped "create a safe haven for Jews."

However, Tlaib claimed in the same interview the role was "forced on" her ancestors "in a way that took their human dignity away."

What did Tlaib say?

"There's kind of a calming feeling, I always tell folks, when I think of the Holocaust and the tragedy of the Holocaust and the fact that it was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, the human dignity, their existence in many ways had been wiped out," Tlaib said.



"All of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post the Holocaust, post the tragedy and horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time. And, I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right?" she continued. "But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right? And it was forced on them."

Tlaib made her shocking remarks during an appearance on Yahoo News' "Skullduggery" podcast last week.

Rashida Tlaib on the Holocaust youtu.be

Tlaib's comments came in response to podcast co-host Dan Klaidman, who asked about Tlaib's support of a one-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Tlaib said she supports a one-state solution because it would provide equity for both Jews and Muslims.



However, Klaidman was quick to call out the freshman lawmaker, noting that a one-state solution would make Jews a minority in a single Arab-Israel state.

"But Dan it's not up to us to decide what it looks like," Tlaib shot back.

When the podcast hosts pushed back further, Tlaib launched into a broadside against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying a two-state solution is "impossible" because Netanyahu has "proceeded to divide, how he has proceeded to dissect and segregate communities."

What was the reaction to Tlaib's comments?

The Michigan lawmaker was widely condemned on social media for her "breathtakingly vile" comments.

But she was also called out for what appears to be historical ignorance concerning the connection between top Nazi leaders and Haj Amin al-Husseini, the top Islamic leader in Jerusalem during the inter-war period who remained a top leader during the war.

Not only did al-Husseini meet with Adolf Hitler during the war, but he held a well-documented relationship with SS commander Heinrich Himmler, the mastermind behind the Nazi "final solution."

And while some historians have attempted to say that al-Husseini was unaware of the Holocaust, most serious historians believe al-Husseini had intimate knowledge of the genocide.

Al-Husseini also attempted to block Jews escaping Europe from settling in Palestine.