Jayapal boycotts Israeli president’s speech over ‘racist state’ dispute.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) Skips Israeli President’s Address to Congress
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) did not attend Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday, citing a scheduling conflict.
Jayapal, the top progressive in the House, came under fire this week for stating on Saturday that Israel is a ”racist state.” Members of her party, including all of the Democratic leadership, rebuked the comment, and Republicans forced a vote affirming that Israel is not a “racist or apartheid state.”
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Jayapal voted for that resolution on Tuesday, as did virtually every lawmaker in the lower chamber, and she has since apologized for her remark. But nine Democrats who consider Israel to be a human rights abuser voted against the measure. One voted “present.”
A number of those lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Cori Bush (D-MO), also boycotted the address, though Jayapal attributed her absence to a prior commitment.
“Due to scheduling conflicts, Congresswoman Jayapal will not be attending Israeli President Herzog’s address. She looks forward to listening to the address at a later time and continuing the important conversation,” her office said in a statement.
The absences were not limited to the House. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a Jewish lawmaker who has long been critical of Israel, declined to attend.
“It is no great secret that I strongly oppose the policies of Israel’s right wing, anti-Palestinian government,” he said in a statement. “We provide them with $3.8 billion in aid. We have a right to demand they respect human rights.”
Some progressive Democrats have called Israel an apartheid state. The mainstream view within the Democratic Party is far less critical, though members believe the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms will make achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict more difficult.
Herzog addressed those sentiments during his speech.
“I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it,” he told members of Congress.
He went on to rebuff claims the country is backsliding on its democratic ideals.
“Israel has democracy in its DNA,” Herzog said. “As a nation, we must find a way to talk to each other no matter how long it takes.”
Republicans have denounced the absence of Jayapal and others, arguing the divide is based on anti-Israel sentiment, not the country’s policies.
“There is a particular type of left-wing radical that is so obsessed with the state of Israel that they conduct themselves in ways they would not with any other nation,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) told the Washington Examiner. “You don’t have to agree with every policy of the state of Israel, but to boycott the president coming in — it’s just ridiculous theater.”
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