Kendall County Times

Illinois' 14th District Congressional candidate Jim Marter is pushing his opponent, Democrat incumbent Lauren Underwood, to condemn the statements of fellow Democrat Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal in calling Israel a “racist state.” 

Jayapal made the statement during a conference in Chicago.

”As your next Congressman, I will always call balls and strikes when it comes to condemning anti-Semitism," Marter, the Kendall County Republican Chairman, said in a press release. "I condemn Rep. Jaypal's comments about Israel and I encourage Lauren Underwood to do the same.” 

Jayapal's comment drew condemnation, leading to a resolution denouncing antisemitism in Congress.

“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 said, The Hill reported.  

In its wake, President Joe Biden invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House amid simmering tensions on Capitol Hill after leading Democratic lawmaker, Jayapal called Netanyahu's country a "racist state." Biden's invitation comes despite his vocal criticism of the Israeli Prime Minister's government's policies, according to The Scroll.

Jayapal’s comments were slammed in a letter penned by 43 Democrats in Congress. Underwood was not among that number.

"We are deeply concerned about Representative Pramila Jayapal’s unacceptable comments regarding our historic, democratic ally Israel, and we appreciate her retraction," the letter reads. "We will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to undermine and disrupt the strongly bipartisan consensus supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship that has existed for decades.”  

Jayapal retracted the statement after receiving bipartisan criticism noting “Words do matter" and added that it is important that she clarifies her statement. 

“I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist," she said in a press release. “I do, however, believe that Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.”