The House on Tuesday passed a resolution voicing support for Israel, days after a leading Democratic lawmaker drew condemnation from both parties after saying the country was a “racist state.”
The measure, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Tex.) and passed by a 412-9 vote, with one member voting present, succinctly states that “Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia” and that “the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.” It also states that Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state.”
Pfluger was referring to comments made over the weekend by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. During an event in Chicago hosted by Netroots Nation, Jayapal told a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators that she has “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.”
The remarks quickly drew bipartisan criticism, leading Jayapal on Sunday to release a statement saying she did not “believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist” but that she does think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies are racist. In the statement, Jayapal also offered an apology to “those who I have hurt with my words.”
