U.S. House Backs Israel in 412-9 Vote After Democrat Called State ‘Racist’

WASHINGTON—The House voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution affirming America’s strong support for Israel and condemning antisemitism, a move that sought to put Democrats on the spot after a progressive leader called the country racist.

The measure passed 412-9, with one member voting present.

The vote came hours after Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, met with President Biden, with a speech planned before Congress on Wednesday to mark the 75th year of Israel’s independence. Biden also announced this week he would meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this year, working to ease tensions after the White House criticized Netanyahu’s push to overhaul Israel’s judicial system and the efforts of his government to expand settlements in Palestinian territories.

In remarks to reporters, Biden said that the U.S. commitment to Israel is “ironclad.” In their meeting, Biden and Herzog discussed efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and Tehran’s growing defense ties with Russia, the White House said. 

The resolution the House passed Tuesday says that Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state; Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia; and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”

The measure was drafted in response to comments from a top House Democrat. Over the weekend, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), head of the progressive caucus, referred to Israel as a “racist state” at a Netroots Nation panel discussion. The comments drew fire from not only Republicans, but also fellow Democrats. Several dozen Democrats signed a letter on Monday saying, “We will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to hijack the Democratic Party and country.”

Japayal issued a statement walking back her comments, saying she intended to say that Israel’s government was pursuing racist policies toward Palestinians but wasn’t a racist state. She also offered her “apologies to those who I have hurt with my words.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday: “We think it’s important that the congresswoman did indeed apologize for her comments, and we’re glad to see it.”

In remarks Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

“This legislation really deals with the overall desire for us to stand up against antisemitism,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.). “So you’ve seen many people on the left express those kind of views.”

The U.S. has been a staunch ally of Israel for decades, through both Republicans and Democratic administrations, but in recent years some Democrats have expressed growing concern about Israeli government policies. While polls show strong support from Americans for Israel, they also show growing concerns for Palestinians.

A recent survey from Gallup found that 54% of Americans said they sympathized more with Israel than with the Palestinians—down 10 percentage points over the past five years—while 31% sided more with the Palestinians in the conflict. For the first time in the survey, more Democrats sided with Palestinians than Israel, while Republicans remained staunchly pro-Israel.

Many Democrats said they were comfortable voting for the pro-Israel resolution, even if it was intended to embarrass Jayapal and the party. 

“If the Republicans are trying to plan a gotcha moment, I think they’ll find strong bipartisan support for it,” said Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D., N.H.), chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition.

Israel “has challenges and policies that are openly criticized, often by the Israeli people themselves. But let me be clear, Israel is not now and has not ever been a racist state,” said Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina. 

Progressive lawmakers defended Jayapal and said the Republicans’ measure was disingenuous.

“Pramila is a woman of color who’s a Democrat and a progressive,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.). “She represents everything that they despise, and they’re gonna find every opportunity to attack people like her,” he said of Republicans. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, called the resolution “an attempt to deny reality and normalize the violence of apartheid.” 

GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, defended Israeli policy. 

“Israel is responsible for protecting the well-being of its citizens,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas). “Protecting one’s citizens from terrorist attacks is not racism, it is national security.” 

Some Democrats also questioned why Republicans were going ahead with an invitation to Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify at a House panel on government censorship. He made comments about Covid-19 being ethnically targeted to spare Chinese and Jewish people, remarks that were widely panned.

“I find it very damaging and very frightening and I’m surprised that Speaker McCarthy has not withdrawn that invitation,” Kuster said.

McCarthy said he disagreed with what Kennedy said. 

House Republicans earlier this year voted to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her criticism of Israel and past statements that were criticized as antisemitic. At the time, Omar said the Republicans were unfairly trying to silence the dissenting voice of an immigrant Muslim woman who had been critical of U.S. foreign policy.

Omar and other progressives have been critical of Israeli actions in Gaza and settlements in the West Bank, but the Minnesota Democratic lawmaker drew specific ire for 2019 comments in which she said: “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” in reference to U.S. politicians defending Israel. Omar apologized for her comments. 

—Aaron Zitner and David Harrison contributed to this article.

Write to Siobhan Hughes at [email protected]