CNN’s Dana Bash called out the progressive wing of the Democratic Party on Monday for incorrectly using the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s war against Hamas.
Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, who is a member of the progressive caucus, joined Bash. Bash reported on gruesome new accounts of Oct. 7 survivors detailing mass rape and brutality against Israeli women and asked why it’s so hard for people to speak out in condemnation.
Torres said a “long standing pattern” of anti-Semitism directed toward Israel is the culprit rather than plain politics.
“Israel is combatting double standards and a delegitimization campaign even as it seeks to defend itself after the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” Torres said.
Bash then asked Torres to comment on his caucus, noting the frequent, inaccurate use of the term “genocide.” (RELATED: Rare Moment On CNN Leads To Even More Unusual Event During Fox & Friends)
“I do want to ask about what is going on inside your progressive caucus because I have certainly heard that there is a lot of turmoil. I do want to say that [Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal], who I had on yesterday, has been one, who like you, has called what happened on October 7th a terror attack. She has not used, as I have seen, the term genocide, which is what other members of your progressive caucus have used, using that word incorrectly, to describe what Israel is doing to retaliate. Can you describe the division and frankly what I have heard is anguish inside the Democratic progressive caucus over this?”
“The word division gives the impression that it is evenly split. I mean, almost every member of the democratic caucus has been unequivocal in condemning the sheer savagery of Hamas. There is a fringe that uses provocative language, dishonest language like ‘ethnic cleansing’ or ‘genocide,’ but that is fundamentally unrepresentative of the mainstream, of not only the democratic caucus but also the progressive caucus.”
Bash made headlines Sunday after she grilled Jayapal on Hamas raping Israeli women. Jayapal told Bash that while rape is “horrific,” “we have to be balanced” in condemning both sides of the conflict.
Thousands have also taken to the streets accusing President Joe Biden and Israel of supporting genocide against the Palestinian people.