Democratic lawmakers are condemning Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal after she called House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) an “AIPAC monkey” while attacking his support for Israel during a podcast appearance.
Jebreal made the remark while appearing on commentator Wajahat Ali’s “The Left Hook,” where the conversation turned to Jeffries and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential pro-Israel advocacy organization commonly known as AIPAC.
The exchange quickly spread across social media and triggered accusations of racism from members of Jeffries’ own party.
Jebreal began by discussing the meaning of Jeffries’ first name.
“His name is Hakeem. ‘Hakeem’ is an Arabic name which means ‘healer.’ He’s not a healer, he’s a divider,” Jebreal said.
She then accused Jeffries of being beholden to AIPAC before using the controversial phrase.
“He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey,” Jebreal said, immediately adding that she did not intend the remark “in a racist way.”
Jebreal followed the comment by describing Jeffries as an “errand boy” and saying critics of his Israel policy were “done and tired.”
Ali interrupted the exchange to point out that describing a Black person as a monkey carries longstanding racist connotations.
He told Jebreal the term had “terrible racial connotations,” while noting that she appeared to recognize the problem with her wording as she made the comment.
Jebreal responded by arguing that she was referring to the traditional image of the three wise monkeys associated with seeing no evil, hearing no evil and speaking no evil.
“There are these three monkeys — one, I cannot hear, I cannot see, I cannot speak — it reminds me of these three monkeys,” she explained.
That explanation did not satisfy the Congressional Black Caucus.
“To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries—a Black man—a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy,’” the CBC wrote in response.
The caucus also criticized Ali for allowing the exchange to unfold on his program, arguing that lowering standards for political discourse can normalize openly bigoted language.
“We have to stop platforming and trafficking in anti-Black racism, whether it’s on the political right or the left,” the group added.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), another member of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued his own sharp condemnation.
“Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Full stop,” Torres wrote.
Torres argued that political ideology should not change the standard applied to such language, saying figures on the left would immediately condemn similar remarks if they came from someone on the political right.
“If Wajahat Ali and Rula Jebreal were on the far right, no one on the far left would have any trouble condemning them for dehumanizing a Black man in racist terms,” Torres wrote, adding, “The silence is deafening.”
The backlash expanded Friday as other Democratic lawmakers criticized Jebreal’s choice of words, with coverage of the dispute spreading nationally.
Jebreal subsequently apologized.
“I am disgusted and horrified that Hakeem Jeffries is taking money from AIPAC amidst Israel’s genocide in Palestine,” she wrote, reiterating the political criticism that had prompted her original comments.
“That said, a term that I used to describe him was inappropriate and offensive and should never have been used,” Jebreal continued. “I apologize unconditionally.”
The apology did not retract Jebreal’s criticism of Jeffries’ approach to Israel or AIPAC. Instead, she withdrew the language she had used to make that criticism, per the New York Post.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions among Democrats over Israel, the war in Gaza and the influence of pro-Israel organizations in Democratic politics.
Jeffries has faced criticism from some progressive activists over his support for Israel, while he and other Democratic leaders have also faced pressure from members who want the party to adopt a more confrontational posture toward the Israeli government.
Those disagreements have increasingly surfaced in Democratic primaries, congressional debates and public disputes involving activists, commentators and elected officials.
In Jebreal’s case, however, the immediate controversy has centered less on the underlying Israel debate and more on the language she directed at Jeffries.
The Congressional Black Caucus made that distinction explicit, rejecting the idea that political disagreement could justify terminology it viewed as racist.
Jebreal has now acknowledged that the phrase was inappropriate, while maintaining her underlying criticism of Jeffries’ relationship with AIPAC and his stance toward Israel.
