Bachmann's pro-Palestinian tweet?

The Minnesota Republican uses a word that's taboo among her pro-Israel allies

Published July 7, 2011 3:32PM (EDT)

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., makes her formal announcement to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Monday, June 27, 2011, in Waterloo, Iowa. Bachmann, who was born in Waterloo, will continue her announcement tour this week with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (AP)
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., makes her formal announcement to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Monday, June 27, 2011, in Waterloo, Iowa. Bachmann, who was born in Waterloo, will continue her announcement tour this week with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (AP)

Talking Points Memo picked up on a potential slip-up on Michele Bachmann's part Wednesday night. The presidential hopeful tweeted, "I'm proud to cosponsor HRes 268, coming to the Floor tonight. The resolution supports peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine."

In doing so, she unknowingly strayed from pro-Israel standard parlance: In using the term "Palestine" as opposed to the more standard "Palestinians" she inadvertently implied the existence of Palestine as a place -- something pro-Israel hawks are loath to do.

Indeed the wording in Resolution 268, which Bachmann was referring to, specifically mentions negotiations between Israel and "the Palestinians". The term "Palestine" comes up only once in the document (which you can read here) and it is in reference to the Palestine Liberation Organization, not to Palestine per se. And as TPM notes, the resolution is in fact "more focused on denouncing three things: A potential unilateral declaration of statehood by the latter; the upcoming effort to seek recognition at the United Nations; and the involvement of Hamas in the Palestinian unity government."


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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