Palestinian journalist sparks controversy after referring to Hakeem Jeffries as 'AIPAC monkey'
"He is a bought-and-paid-for AIPAC monkey," she said of the black lawmaker. "With all due respect - and I don't mean it in a racist way. He is just basically an errand boy, and we're done and tired."
Journalist Rula Jebreal faced backlash after she referred to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as an "AIPAC monkey" during a podcast. Jebreal, a Palestinian journalist, defended her choice of words, stating that she was not being racist and had simply likened Jeffries to a "monkey" because of his role as an errand boy for AIPAC.
She added that the three monkeys image reminded her of the situation. However, her defense was met with widespread rejection, particularly from the Congressional Black Caucus, who called her statement racist. The CBC wrote that there is no non-racist way to call a Black man a "monkey" or an "errand boy." Other lawmakers, including New York Representative Richie Torres, echoed the sentiment, stating that calling a Black man a "monkey" is racist.
Jebreal later apologized unconditionally, acknowledging that the term she used was inappropriate and offensive.
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