Rep. Rashida Tlaib has defended her controversial comments about having a “calming feeling” when she thinks about Palestinians offering a “safe haven for Jews” after the Holocaust.

The Michigan Democrat, one of two Muslim women in Congress, drew fire last week from Republicans after speaking on the Yahoo podcast “Skullduggery,” where she was asked about her support for a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

“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, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said.

“I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways,” she continued.

“But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right, and it was forced on them. And so when I think about a one-state, I think about the fact that, why couldn’t we do it in a better way?”

On Monday, President Trump said her comments were “horrible and highly insensitive” and demonstrated a “tremendous hatred of Israel and the Jewish people.”

In an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday night, Tlaib said her grandmother lives in the West Bank, which she described as “the occupied territories of Palestine” and how many of her ancestors “died” or “gave up their livelihood” to provide a safe haven for Jews, which she wanted to “recognize and honor.”

“I want all of us to feel safe. All of us deserve human dignity, no matter our backgrounds, no matter our ethnicity, no matter even our political opinions, we all deserve that kind of equality and justice. And, you know, for me, I wanted to uplift that and bring that to light and it was unfortunate,” Tlaib said.

“You know, I got a text from a friend who’s like, ‘Hey, next time, you know, really clarify. Maybe talk like a fourth-grader because maybe the racist idiots would understand you better.'”

She added: “I will continue to speak truth to power and continue to uplift my grandmother through love and that’s all I can do is continue to share the human impact of what it means to be a Palestinian in the occupied territory.”