U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has received widespread criticism for a video she posted over the weekend that was deemed offensive to the Jewish community by some, but she said her critics should focus less on the words she used than on saving civilian lives in the Middle East.

“My colleagues are much more focused on silencing me — the only Palestinian American voice in Congress — than they are on ending the horrific attacks on civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank right now,” Tlaib said in a statement sent Monday to The Associated Press. “Instead of attacking me and distorting my words, they should listen to their constituents and call for a cease-fire to save innocent lives.”

She was responding to calls from national and Michigan Democrats asking her to take down a video posted Friday, which includes a clip of demonstrators chanting “from the river to the sea.” Tlaib also said in the video “we will remember in 2024″ before text appears stating: “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

It’s the latest example of a public rift dividing Democrats in Michigan, which is home to one of the nation’s largest Arab American communities.

The Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish groups have criticized the “from the river to the sea,” chant as a call to dismantle the state of Israel. Many Palestinian activists say they are not calling for the destruction of Israel, but for freedom of movement and equal rights and protections for Palestinians throughout the land.

Democrat Elissa Slotkin, the lone Jewish member of Michigan’s congressional delegation, said on social media that the phrase promotes “division and violence,” and is “counterproductive to promoting peace.”

“If I knew that a phrase I’d used had hurt any of my constituents, I would apologize and retract it, no matter its origin,” Slotkin said. “I’d ask the same from you.”

Other Michigan Democrats, including Attorney General Dana Nessel and Michigan Senate President Pro Tempore Jeremy Moss, joined in criticizing Tlaib and calling for her to apologize. Nessel said that while she has defended Tlaib in the past, her use of the phrase “is so hurtful to so many.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said during a Sunday appearance on CNN that while he considers Tlaib a friend, “slogans like ‘the river to the sea,’ if that means the destruction of Israel, that’s not going to work.”

Tlaib said on social media late Friday that the “from the river to the sea” phrase is “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”

The Detroit News reported that Tlaib has said in the past that “she’s not calling for the expulsion of Jews from Israel or their destruction but for peaceful co-existence and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis.”

The Detroit News also reported that Tlaib’s campaign sent an email blast on Sunday promising she “will not back down in leading our movement and demanding a ceasefire now” in the war. “The lie that any critique of the Israeli government is antisemitic sets a dangerous precedent, and it’s being used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our country.”

The American Jewish Committee’s Translate Hate Glossary defines “From the River to the Sea” as a “catch-all phrase symbolizing Palestinian control over the entire territory of Israel’s borders, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

AJC said “‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ is a common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists, especially student activists on college campuses. It calls for the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel and its people. It is also a rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers … (including) Hamas, which called for Israel’s destruction in its original governing charter in 1988 and was responsible for the October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israeli civilians, murdering over 1,000 people in the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.”

The back and forth between Democrats in Michigan is the most recent example of a widening divide over the Israel-Hamas war. Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the nation, which Tlaib partially represents, but her Detroit-area district also includes a thriving Jewish community.

Tlaib, whose grandmother currently lives in the West Bank, has been called out since the war began by some who say she didn’t do enough to condemn the Hamas attack. An effort to censure Tlaib was dismissed with broad bipartisan support last week as both parties raised concerns about violating First Amendment rights.

Two U.S. House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, introduced another motion to censure Tlaib on Monday.