By a vote of 412-9 on Tuesday night, the US House of Representatives approved a resolution denouncing antisemitism and reiterating that Israel is neither a racist nor an apartheid state.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, put forth the motion in response to several divisive comments made by radical Democrats in Congress.
Members of the Squad of Progressive Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, and Ayanna Pressley, were among the dissenting voters.
Reps. Delia Ramirez, Summer Lee, and Andre Carson were the other Democrats who voted against the motion. Republicans did not cast any votes against the proposal.
According to Pfluger, Israel is the United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East.
Assuring that all Americans are aware of where their representatives stand on supporting Israel and our Jewish communities, I’m delighted to introduce this resolution.
The State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state,” the resolution said. “Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia, and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”
This resolution came after Rep. Pramila Jayapal made the contentious allegation that “Israel is a racist state” at a conference in Chicago.
She has now pulled back the terminology she used in her initial comment, indicating that she supports a two-state solution but is opposed to apartheid.
Additionally, a number of congressional representatives—all of whom identify as progressive Democrats—dramatically declared this week on social media that they would boycott the joint session of Congress, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog will speak on Wednesday, in protest of Israel’s “apartheid policies” and “human rights violations.
Members of Congress Cori Bush, Jamal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, all of whom have a history of voting against Israel, have all stated they will boycott Herzog’s address for ideological reasons.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar, and Ted Lieu all signed a statement on Monday saying that “Israel is not a racist state” and that “our commitment to a safe and secure Israel as an invaluable partner, ally, and beacon of democracy in the Middle East is ironclad.
Pfluger responded to the recent anti-Israel comments made by Squad members by saying, “Israel is our strongest partner in the Middle East, and recent member comments denigrating Israel are unacceptable and disgusting.”
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