CNN
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Top House Democrats are rebuking Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal’s comments earlier this weekend that “Israel is a racist state,” which she sought to reverse on Sunday.
“Israel is not a racist state,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader Katherine Clark, Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar and Vice President Ted Lieu said in a statement that did not mention the progressive leader by name. .
A draft statement signed by a handful of other House Democrats and circulating among lawmakers’ offices on Sunday expresses “deep concern” over what it calls Jayapal’s “unacceptable” comments, adding: “We will never allow anti-Zionist voices emboldening anti-Semitism hijack the Democratic Party and the country.”
His rejection comes ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to a joint meeting of Congress later this week, which some progressives have said they will skip, citing human rights concerns. House progressives have been outspoken in their opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and US sponsorship of Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, said “Israel is a racist state” Saturday as he addressed pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted a panel discussion at the Netroots Nation conference in Chicago.
“As someone who has been on the streets and participated in many demonstrations, 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 solution to two states is slipping away from us, that it doesn’t even feel possible,” he told protesters chanting “Free Palestine.”
Jayapal sought to clarify his comments in a statement Sunday afternoon, saying he “does not believe that the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” while offering an apology “to those whom I have hurt with my words.”
He went on to call out the “far-right government” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he said he believes “has engaged in openly racist and discriminatory policies.”
But his initial comment, made after protesters chanted “Israel is a racist state” during a panel he was participating in with progressive Illinois representatives Jan Schakowsky and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, struck a chord with some members of his own party.
Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who signed the statement circulating among Democratic lawmakers, told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Sunday that Jayapal’s statement was not only “hurtful and damaging, but totally inaccurate and insensitive. I’m thankful she backed down.”
The Florida Democrat added that Jayapal had spoken with several Jewish members of Congress on Sunday “and that is partly, I think, that resulted in the retraction and apology.”
“We need to make sure that we continue to work together,” Wasserman Schultz said. “But we all have to be careful what we say in the heat of the moment, and I think she learned that the hard way.”
CNN contacted Jayapal on Sunday before he released his statement.
In her statement, the congresswoman reiterated her commitment to “a two-state solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live together in freedom, security, and self-determination.”
And he explained his earlier comment by saying, in part, “On a very human level, I was also responding to the deep pain and hopelessness that exists for Palestinians and their diaspora communities when it comes to this debate, but in no way was I intending to to deny the deep pain and grief of Israelis and their Diaspora Jewish community still reeling from the trauma of pogroms and persecution, the Holocaust, and the ongoing anti-Semitism and hate violence that is rampant today.”
Draft of the statement by some Democrats gave a nod to anti-Semitism and also invoked American national security.
“Israel is the rightful homeland of the Jewish people and efforts to delegitimize and demonize it are not only dangerous and anti-Semitic, but also undermine the national security of the United States,” the lawmakers write.
The House Democratic leadership also touted Israel as “an invaluable partner.”
“Our commitment to a safe and secure Israel as an invaluable partner, ally and beacon of democracy in the Middle East is unwavering,” the leaders wrote in their own statement. “We look forward to welcoming Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the United States House of Representatives this week.”
Jayapal said Friday that he does not think he will attend Herzog’s speech on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. “I do not think it is. I haven’t quite decided.
“I think this is not a good time for that to happen,” Jayapal told CNN’s Manu Raju when asked if Chairman Kevin McCarthy had made a mistake in inviting Herzog.
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri have said they will not attend.
The Democratic leadership has supported Herzog’s visit, with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. extending the invitation last year. “I look forward to welcoming him with open arms,” Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said at a news conference last week, calling Herzog “a force for good in Israeli society.”
Herzog will visit the White House on Tuesday. “As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, the visit will highlight our longstanding partnership and friendship. President (Joe) Biden will reaffirm America’s steadfast commitment to Israel’s security,” the White House said in a statement.
“President Biden will emphasize the importance of our shared democratic values and discuss ways to promote equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and security for Palestinians and Israelis,” the statement continued.
Netanyahu has not been invited to Washington by the Biden administration since he took office again in December last year, amid a series of policy differences between the two governments.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
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