HALLANDALE BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida commissioner who has vowed to stand her ground after receiving backlash from a Facebook post she made is now facing condemnation from her colleagues on the Hallandale Beach Commission.
Hallandale Beach Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub, who’s Jewish, signed a petition that sought to remove U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a Muslim, from office.
When Lima-Taub shared the signed petition to her Facebook page, it was accompanied by a caption that read, “A Hamas-loving anti-Semite has NO place in government! She is a danger and [I] would not put it past her to become a martyr and blow up Capitol Hill.”
7News asked her if she actually believed Tlaib would “blow up Capitol Hill.”
“Whether or not she would do it — probably she wouldn’t, but she aligns herself with radical Islamic groups, she aligns herself with BDS,” Lima-Taub responded.
When asked if she believed Tlaib was a terrorist, she said, “judge me by who my friends are — who I surround myself with.”
Colleagues of Lima-Taub said they’ve been inundated with emails and messages regarding the post.
“Hallandale Beach is taking action against bigotry and hatred,” Commissioner Michele Lazarow said.
Lazarow is planning to introduce a resolution condemning Lima-Taub.
“These comments have sparked a national outcry,” she said.
Despite receiving an influx of negative feedback, Lima-Taub is standing by her post.
“Apologize for standing up to the BDS? Apologize for standing up to a woman that believes in a one-state solution, which basically annihilates and obliterates the Jewish community in Israel?” she told 7News.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, otherwise known as BDS, is a movement against Israel because of its policies toward the Palestinians.
She went as far as posting again onto her Facebook about the backlash.
“I am offended by anyone who is NOT OFFENDED by Rashida Talib’s hateful rhetoric,” the post read.
Facebook users wasted no time striking back at the commissioner.
“Shut the [expletive] up and resign already,” one user wrote.
“So do you have a swastika tramp stamp to go with your HATE?” another user wrote.
“…I am deeply offended and worried about having such a hateful woman as commissioner,” a third post read.
There were, however, some users expressing their support for the commissioner.
“Please DO NOT RESIGN,” a post read. “We live in the USA where we have freedom of speech.”
However, Lazarow believes Lima-Taub sent the wrong message.
“We were elected to represent all faces, all backgrounds, and that is not what this behavior is saying,” she said. “It’s saying all Muslims are terrorists.”
Commissioner Lima-Taub released her own official statement in response:
“Michele Lazarow is politicizing this matter in an effort to divert attention from city-wide misdeeds and coverups, both past and present, for which I have been very vocal about.”
Lazarow said she has not yet come up with the wording for the resolution but hopes to have it done in the next few days.
She plans to bring it up at the commission meeting scheduled for Jan. 23.
If Lima-Taub takes back her comments before the meeting, then Lazarow said she might reconsider.
However, Lima-Taub said it’s not going to happen.
“Shame on Michele Lazarow for her anti-Semitic stances and for supporting somebody like the congresswoman,” she said.
Lazarow said she does not support the congresswoman and believes Lima-Taub is trying to spin and distract.
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