Jayapal apologizes for calling Israel a 'racist state' [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: The Hill

Jayapal apologizes for calling Israel a ‘racist state’

BY JULIA SHAPERO - 07/16/23 10:00 PM ET

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, apologized on Sunday for calling Israel a “racist state.”

Jayapal made the controversial remark at a progressive conference on Saturday, as she attempted to calm a group of pro-Palestine protesters.

“Hey guys, can I say something? Can I say something as somebody that’s been in the streets and has participated in a lot of demonstrations?” Jayapal said. “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 does not even feel possible.”

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The Washington Democrat sought to clarify her comments in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday, noting that she was attempting to “defuse a tense situation” and offered “my apologies to those who I have hurt with my words.”

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Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4100742-jayapal-apologizes-for-calling-israel-a-racist-state/