The Congressional Black Caucus and other Democratic lawmakers condemned anti-Israel journalist Rula Jebreal on Friday after she criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for supporting Israel.
“His name is ‘Hakeem.’ ‘Hakeem is an Arabic name which means ‘healer,’” Jebreal said while speaking with commentator Wajahat Ali on his podcast “The Left Hook.” “He is not a healer, he’s a divider. He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey, with all due respect. And I don’t mean it in a racist way, he is just basically an errand boy.” Jebreal clarified that Jeffries reminded her of the three wise monkeys, who cannot hear, see, or speak, but her comment was quickly denounced by Democrats.
“To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries—a Black man—a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy,’” the CBC said. “This is what happens when we hold ourselves to such low standards for what’s allowable in our discourse—people get comfortable being openly bigoted. We have to stop platforming and trafficking in anti-Black racism, whether it’s on the political right or the left.”
Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) also condemned Jebreal’s comments.
“If Wajahat Ali and Rula Jebreal were on the far right,” Torres said, “no one on the far left would have any trouble condemning them for dehumanizing a Black man in racist terms. The silence is deafening.” The more centrist Jeffries, along with Torres and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has remained a staunch supporter of Israel while other New York City Democrats, such as Mayor Zohran Mamdani and various city officials, have promoted anti-Israel views since Oct. 7. Jebreal has worked as a foreign policy analyst for multiple publications throughout her career, including MSNBC.
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“I am disgusted and horrified that Hakeem Jeffries is taking money from AIPAC amidst Israel’s genocide in Palestine,” Jebreal said in a written apology. “That said, a term that I used to describe him was inappropriate and offensive and should never have been used. I apologize unconditionally.”
Ali, a New York Times contributor, tried to cover for Jebreal in the moment, saying the term “monkey” has racist connotations in this context, but that Jebreal caught herself “and didn’t say it with any racial animosity.” Jeffries has not commented on the incident.