Top House Democrats reject Rep. Jayapal’s comments calling Israel a ‘racist state’ – By Barbara Sprunt (NPR) / July 17, 2023
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, walked back comments over the weekend which sparked backlash among members of her own party, in which she referred to Israel as “a racist state.”
Her controversial comments came as she addressed pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted a Netroots Nation panel discussion in Chicago on Saturday.
“Can I say something as somebody who’s been in the streets and participated in a lot of demonstrations?” Jayapal told the crowd. “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 doesn’t even feel possible.”
The Washington Democrat sought to clarify her comments on Sunday, writing in a statement that she apologizes to “those who I have hurt with my words.”
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