Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a censure resolution Thursday condemning Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal for calling Israel a “racist state.”
Jayapal, the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, promised attendees at the left-wing Netroots Nation conference that she and other members “have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state.” She faced bipartisan criticism for the comments, made less than a week before Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint session of Congress. The House overwhelmingly passed a joint resolution, which Jayapal supported, describing Israel as a key ally and condemning the remarks.
The censure resolution also mentions Jayapal’s previous comments condemning Israel. She claimed in 2021 that Hamas fired rockets at Israel due to “the continued annexation that Israel has been undertaking for years.” The same year, Jayapal sought to block an arms deal between the U.S. and Israeli governments.
Read the resolution here:
OGLES 123 (Jayapal) by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
“Rep. Jayapal’s statement calling Israel a ‘racist state’ is unacceptable. Israel is America’s greatest ally in the Middle East and to call it ‘racist’ is not only disgustingly antisemitic but threatens the strength of the relationship between our nations. Unfortunately, my colleague’s remarks don’t come as much of a surprise considering her time in Congress has been riddled with anti-Israel sentiments and pro-terrorist comments. Antisemitism is not to be tolerated, which is why I have introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Jayapal and I hope all my fellow representatives join me in condemning her hateful and problematic speech,” Ogles said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
The White House, House Democratic leadership, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy all condemned Jayapal’s remarks. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called them unacceptable, and the congresswoman ultimately apologized. She did not attend Herzog’s joint address, claiming that she had a scheduling conflict. (RELATED: Ilhan Omar Defends Dem Rep Who Called Israel ‘Racist’: ‘Policing The Language Of Black And Brown Women’)
If the resolution passes, Jayapal would be the third representative to be censured in the last three years. Republican Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar was censured and stripped of his committee seats in 2021 for tweeting a photo-shopped anime video showing him decapitating Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff was censured in June for repeated false claims that he held information showing that Donald Trump directly colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.