House Democratic leaders are pushing back on a statement by one of their members about Israel.
On Sunday night, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), and Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) signed onto a statement pushing back on Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-Wash.) claim Israel is a “racist state.”
The statement declared, “Israel is not a racist state.”
“As a Jewish and Democratic nation, Israel was founded 75 years ago on the principle of complete equality of social and political rights for all of its citizens irrespective of religion, race, or sex, as codified in its Declaration of Independence,” it continued.
The leaders noted there are “individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree.”
However, they added, “Government officials come and go. The special relationship between the United States and Israel will endure. We are determined to make sure support for Israel in the Congress remains strongly bipartisan.”
Check out the statement below:
Pramila Jayapal, the progressive leader, apologizes afer calling Israel a “racist state” on Saturday and says today: “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 17, 2023
Now Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team issue a statement: “Israel is not a racist state.” pic.twitter.com/w4rPljxQG3
Over the weekend, Jayapal — a member of the so-called “Squad” — attended an event for the progressive organization Netroots Nation.
“Hey guys, can I say something? Can I say something as somebody that’s been in the streets and has participated in a lot of demonstrations?” she said.
Jayapal added, “I want you to know that 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.”
On Sunday, the congresswoman sought to “clarify” her comment as she said, “Words do matter and so it is important that I clarify my statement.”
“I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” she stated.
However, Jayapal added, “I do, however, believe that 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.”
