Politics

9 House Democrats Vote Against Resolution Saying Israel Is Not Racist

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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A group of nine House Democrats voted against a resolution Tuesday that states Israel is “not a racist or apartheid state.”

Just days prior, Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal told a group of protesters that Israel is a “racist state.” House Republicans brought the resolution to the floor for a vote Tuesday evening which ended up passing 412-9.

“As somebody who’s been in the streets and participated in a lot of demonstrations, 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,” Jayapal told a group of protesters on Saturday. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Unwavering Support’: Rep. Chip Roy Writes Letter To Benjamin Netanyahu Affirming US-Israel Alliance)

However, Jayapal did not vote with the other nine Democrats against the resolution.

Here are the nine Democrats: 

  • Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar
  • New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman
  • Missouri Rep. Cori Bush
  • New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
  • Indiana Rep. Andre Carson
  • Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee
  • Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez
  • Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib
  • Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley

The other Democrats who voted against the resolution, such as Omar, said the vote took place to “shame” Jayapal. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Tenney Introduces Legislation To Prevent Tax Dollars From Going To Entities That Support BDS Movement)

“I’m voting against this resolution. It was designed by MAGA Republicans to target and shame a colleague, Pramila Jayapal, for comments for which she apologized and clarified. While I strongly agree with explicitly and affirmatively rejecting xenophobia and antisemitism, conflating antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government is wrong,” Omar said in a statement.

“We shouldn’t allow for the silencing of voices supporting Palestinian human rights,” Omar added.

House Republicans have slammed the Democrats who voted against the resolution.