Rula Jebreal Insults US Democratic Leader, Calling Him an ‘AIPAC Monkey,’ Then Apologizes

Rula Jebreal attacked House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries during an interview with Wajahat Ali’s podcast The Left Hook, criticizing his support for Israel. She called Jeffries, who is African American, an “AIPAC monkey.”

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His name is Hakeem. Hakeem is a name that means ‘healer’ in Arabic. But he is not a healer, he is a person who divides. He is a bought-and-paid-for AIPAC monkey. With all due respect, I do not mean it in a racist sense. Essentially, he is just a messenger. We have had enough, we are tired.

Jebreal said Jeffries’ name means “healer” in Arabic, but argued that he was instead divisive. She also called him a paid messenger for AIPAC, the influential pro-Israel lobby, and said opponents had had enough.

She later apologized publicly. Jebreal said she was disgusted that Jeffries accepted AIPAC money while Israel’s actions in Palestine amounted, in her view, to genocide. But she acknowledged that the term she used was inappropriate and offensive, saying she should never have used it and offering an unconditional apology.

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I am disgusted and horrified that Hakeem Jeffries accepts money from AIPAC while Israel’s genocide in Palestine is taking place. That said, the term I used to describe him was inappropriate and offensive, and I should never have used it. I offer my unconditional apology.

The remarks drew criticism from the Congressional Black Caucus. “To be clear, there is no non-racist way to describe Leader Jeffries, an African American, as a ‘monkey’ or ‘messenger,’” the group said. It added that such comments emerge when standards for acceptable public debate are allowed to fall, making people feel comfortable expressing open intolerance.

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To be clear, there is no non-racist way to describe Leader Jeffries, an African American, as a ‘monkey’ or ‘messenger.’