More than 40 House Democrats released a statement condemning Washington Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal for calling Israel a “racist state.” Among the signatures are New Hampshire’s two members of Congress, Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas.
“We are deeply concerned about Representative Pramila Jayapal’s unacceptable comments regarding our historic, democratic ally Israel, and we appreciate her retraction,” the joint statement reads. “Israel is the legitimate homeland of the Jewish people, and efforts to delegitimize and demonize it are not only dangerous and antisemitic, but they also undermine America’s national security.”
At a gathering of the far-left Netroots Nation organization on Saturday, Jayapal said, “We have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible.”
In response to the backlash, including from her fellow Democrats, Jayapal issued a follow-up statement, though she called it a “clarification,” not a retraction.
“I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist. I do, however, believe that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government,” Jayapal said.
The Seattle progressive is the latest Democrat called out over anti-Israel or anti-semitic behavior.
For example, four House Democrats are boycotting an appearance by the president of Israel, Issac Herzog, before a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said, “There is no way in hell” she will attend Herzog’s speech, which she will be boycotting along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
Omar’s own antisemitic remarks inspired the then-Democrat-controlled House to pass a resolution condemning bigotry in 2019.
Omar and Tlaib are outspoken supporters of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement targeting Israel. Earlier this month, Gov. Chris Sununu signed an executive order banning businesses that participate in BDS actions against Israel from doing business with the state of New Hampshire.
“Israel is the specific target of a dedicated discrimination that seeks to isolate it economically, alienate it socially, and coerce neutral businesses into joining these boycotts against their will,” Sununu said at the time. “These values are the antithesis of the ‘Live Free or Die’ spirit here in New Hampshire. And it’s why I’m signing an executive order today enacting an anti-BDS policy within the state of New Hampshire.”
During an interview on WFEA radio with Drew Cline Tuesday morning, Sununu said there are a “shocking” number of anti-semitic comments in America’s political discourse. “More of these anti-Semitic comments being made, not just by fringe groups, but by leaders in this country, by congressmen and congresswomen. I think it’s disgusting.”
Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the first Jewish nominee for vice president on a major-party ticket, rejected claims his party has a problem with antisemitism but acknowledged there are issues inside the Democrats’ progressive wing.
“The Democratic Party is still a pro-Israel party; just look at the votes in Congress,” Lieberman told NHJournal. “But there are a group of people, I’d say, on the left of the party, who have said things about Israel in recent years that I never heard another member of Congress say in my 24 years there.
“They’re not only surprisingly anti-Israel, some of them are so strident, I would say they’re antisemitic.”
Late Tuesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution “supporting the State of Israel.” It reads:
“It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state;
(2) Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia; and
(3) the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”
Both Kuster and Pappas were among the 419 members who voted for the resolution, while just nine Democrats voted against it. Among them were Omar, Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts progressive Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Democrats are pushing back on the GOP’s criticisms by attacking House Republicans for inviting Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify before a committee hearing on censorship. In a video posted by the New York Post, RFK Jr. claimed that “COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately.”
“COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” Kennedy said. “We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted that or not.”
“I disagree with everything he said,” GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday. “The hearing that we have this week is about censorship. I don’t think censoring somebody is actually the answer here.”
The issue has also reached the GOP campaign for president. At a town hall in Salem, N.H. Tuesday night, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was asked about America’s support for Israel. “It is our closest ally in the Middle East,” Scott said. “If I’m president, I will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel and restore confidence in all of America’s allies.”
As for the antisemitism issue, Scott told NHJournal, “I do think it’s disturbing what we have seen from the Democrats and especially The Squad.”
In a tweet, Scott later added that the progressives in The Squad are “giving aid & comfort to anti-Semitism & politicizing our relationship with Israel. It’s a dangerous signal to send.”
