These House Democrats voted against pro-Israel resolution after Jayapal comments

Nine House Democrats voted against a resolution Tuesday expressing support for Israel and denouncing antisemitism, a measure that was brought to the floor as a response to comments Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) made over the weekend that were critical of Israel.

The chamber voted 412-9-1 to approve the resolution, which asserts that Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state,” rejects antisemitism and xenophobia in all forms and states that the U.S. “will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”

All nine Democrats who opposed the measure are members of the Progressive Caucus, which Jayapal is the chairwoman of: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Andre Carson (Ind.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.). Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) voted “present.”

Jayapal supported the resolution.

Speaking at a conference in Chicago on Saturday, Jayapal said, “Israel is a racist state.” The comment came as Palestinian protesters disrupted a panel discussion, which three members of Congress were taking part in.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a Jewish lawmaker who was also on the panel, said the activist group protesting has focused attention on her for years, and told reporters this week that Jayapal was confronting “an attack on me.”

Jayapal walked her comments back one day later, writing in a statement, “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist” and apologizing “to those who I have hurt with my words.” She also criticized the conservative government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The congresswoman, however, still faced bipartisan criticism for her initial comments, which included a rare joint statement from House Democratic leadership pushing back on the remarks and a separate statement signed by 43 of her Democratic colleagues in the chamber that said they were “deeply concerned” about her “unacceptable” comments.

Tuesday’s vote, and particularly how it fractured Democrats, highlighted a dynamic that has played out in the party for years: liberals concerned with human rights issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict colliding with party leaders wary of interfering with diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Israel.

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Bowman, Omar and Bush have all said they plan to skip Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, citing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and concerns over human rights.

Israel’s human rights record toward Palestinians drove some of the Democratic opposition to the resolution.

“The United States is an outlier in terms of its refusal to recognize the severity of the human rights crisis that Palestinians face,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s vote. “And, you know, at this point, from Amnesty International to U.N. Special Commissions, are recognizing that the denial of rights of Palestinians amounts to apartheid.”

“Our inability to actually be honest about this conversation prevents us from being an ally to advancing human rights, and being a good ally as well,” she added.

Shortly before the vote ended, Ocasio-Cortez was spotted hugging Jayapal on the House floor.

Lee, a first-term lawmaker, sounded a similar note, citing “basic human rights and democratic values” in a statement following the vote.

“I condemn antisemitism and xenophobia in all its forms. Whether we’re talking about India, Israel, or Sri Lanka, we are not true allies if we cannot push our partners to uphold basic human rights and democratic values. I cannot vote for unconditional support of any nation-state,” she wrote.

“That my colleagues would be more concerned with silencing a woman of color for speaking truth to power than ending human rights abuses abroad is a damning commentary on the state of our Congress,” Pressley echoed on Twitter.

Other Democrats claimed that Israel is, indeed, an apartheid state, taking issue with the language in the resolution. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, made that argument on the House floor during debate Tuesday.

“Israel is an apartheid state,” she said. “The government is deeply problematic in the way that they are proceeding in the structure of oppression.”

In a statement after the vote, Omar pointed to a number of human rights groups that, she said, “have found that the Israeli government’s policies meet the legal definition of apartheid.”

“While the term may be discomforting, I don’t believe it is appropriate for Congress to be explicitly targeting the legal findings of human rights groups in this way,” she added. “We shouldn’t allow for the silencing of voices supporting Palestinian human rights.”

The congresswoman also argued that the resolution “was designed by MAGA Republicans to target and shame” Jayapal for comments that “she apologized [for] and clarified.”

“While I strongly agree with explicitly and affirmatively rejecting xenophobia and antisemitism, conflating antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government is wrong,” she added.

Bowman and Ramirez expressed support for Jayapal ahead of the vote.

“@RepJayapal is a colleague and a friend. She is a principled Chair who supports the Members of the @USProgressives. She’s a champion for human rights and peace in the U.S. and around the world,” Ramirez wrote in a Twitter thread. “She is also one of a very few Brown, immigrant women in U.S. Congress – an institution that isn’t designed for Black, Brown & immigrant folks. This place often tries to silence us, especially when we speak out for the rights of other black & brown folks around the world.”

“These attempts to silence us only show how badly our voice is needed here,” she added.

Bowman on Twitter said he is “proud to call @RepJayapal a friend and our CPC Chair.”

“She is unwavering in her principles and in support of her members, including this weekend when she had @janschakowsky’s back. It’s simple. Rep. Jayapal has been a constant advocate for human rights across the globe,” he added.

McCollum — who voted “present” — claimed in a lengthy statement that the resolution “does nothing to advance the goal of a peaceful solution to end the conflict.”

“I vote ‘present’ on this resolution, because Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians deserve genuine steps forward on the goal of peace, not more division and political gamesmanship. I do this because every Palestinian child and Israeli child deserves to go to sleep at night dreaming of a brighter future, not one of violence,” she added.

The congresswoman said she condemns “antisemitism and hate in all its forms,” but noted that, as a supporter of a two-state solution, she is “deeply troubled” by Netanyahu’s record and “actions of the Israeli government that run counter to this stated goal.”

“I am proud to serve in the United States House of Representatives, in the greatest democracy in the world. A cornerstone of a strong democracy is the ability to openly criticize our government when we feel it is doing something against our values,” she continued. “As a Member of Congress, I have often criticized the policies of my own government. That does not make me anti-American. And criticizing the policies of the Israeli government does not make one antisemitic.”

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