Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, this week became the 26th member of the House of Representatives to be censured.
The formal reprimand from her colleagues was made after she repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and spoke out against Israel's attacks on the Palestinian territory.
Here is a look at the process of a censure and what it means:
What does it mean to censure someone in Congress?
While the censure of a politician carries no practical effect, it amounts to a severe reproach from colleagues. Lawmakers who are censured are usually asked to stand in the well of the House as the resolution against them is read aloud.
But the resolution against Ms Tlaib did not call for a public admonishment.
Who is Rashida Tlaib?
As a Democrat in the House of Representatives, Ms Tlaib represents a district in Detroit, Michigan.
Ms Tlaib is the sole Palestinian American in Congress. Her grandmother lives in a village in the occupied West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 war.
“My perspective is needed more than ever” amid the continuing conflict, she said.
She has been criticised for not doing enough to denounce the Hamas attacks and has been pressured to dial back her calls for a ceasefire.
“Palestinian people are not disposable,” Ms Tlaib said.
According to local authorities, more than 10,500 people have been killed in Gaza.
Why was she censured?
The legislation to censure her accused Ms Tlaib of “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel”.
The measure specifically cited a video she published on social media containing the phrase “from the river to the sea”, a pro-Palestinian rallying cry that is viewed by many Jews as calling for Israel's eradication.
She also enraged many fellow Democrats on Friday when she posted a video accusing President Joe Biden of supporting “the genocide of the Palestinian people”. US ally Israel vehemently rejects accusations of genocide.
Ms Tlaib said that she was not guilty of anti-Semitism during a speech on the House floor on Tuesday.
“My criticism has always been of the Israeli government and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's actions … The idea that criticising the government of Israel is anti-Semitic sets a very dangerous precedent.”
Who supported censuring Rashida Tlaib?
The resolution was put forward by a member of the Republican majority and passed 234-188.
Twenty-two Democrats voted in favour. Four Republicans voted against the measure.
What about the censure of other members?
House Democrats withdrew a measure to censure Republican Brian Mast for a comment in which he said all Palestinians were not “innocent”.
“I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is frequently said.” he said.
“I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazi civilians during World War II.”
How common is censuring someone in Congress?
Although it was previously a rare measure used against members, it has become increasingly common in recent years.
Ms Tlaib is the 26th person to ever be censured by the chamber and the second just this year.
In June, Republicans voted to censure Democrat Adam Schiff of California for comments he made several years ago about investigations into former president Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
When the House was under Democratic control, Republican Paul Gosar of Arizona was censured in 2021 for tweeting an animated video that depicted him striking Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword. And Democrat Charlie Rangel of New York was censured in 2010 over serious financial and campaign misconduct.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
