The U.S. House of Representatives stated on Tuesday that Israel is not a racist or apartheid state and affirmed the United States’ unwavering partnership with the country. The resolution, which rejected antisemitism and xenophobia, was overwhelmingly adopted on a bipartisan basis with a vote of 412 to 9. However, it was primarily driven by partisan jockeying for position rather than genuine concern over Israel. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, criticized the resolution, calling it an attempt to “police the words of women of color.”
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, is scheduled to speak before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. His invitation sparked a series of events that led both parties to accuse each other of being soft on antisemitism ahead of the speech. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a prominent Israel critic, referred to Israel as “a racist state” during remarks at the progressive Netroots Nation conference, which drew condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. Jayapal later recanted her statement, but Democratic leaders issued their own statement in support of Israel, and 43 Democratic colleagues distanced themselves from Jayapal’s original remark.
In an ironic twist, House Republicans inadvertently exposed themselves to charges of antisemitism when it was revealed that high-profile witness, presidential candidate, and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had made antisemitic remarks at a New York City dinner. Kennedy’s comments, where he suggested that COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted” to affect certain populations while sparing others, were labeled as perpetuating harmful stereotypes by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Despite disagreeing with Kennedy’s remarks, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stated that they should not impact his testimony at the upcoming hearing on censorship.
Although the resolution passed overwhelmingly, the battle over the optics is not yet over. McCarthy affirmed that he believed not attending Herzog’s speech could be antisemitic when asked about a group of Democrats intending to skip the event.