Palestinian-American journalist and author Rula Jebreal has drawn fire after referring to House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as an "AIPAC monkey" in a public statement, a term that has sparked widespread criticism over its racial connotations. Jebreal, who has been a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and a critic of U.S. policy toward Israel, later attempted to walk back the comment by insisting she did not intend it in a "racist way," a defense that has only intensified the backlash. The incident highlights the increasingly heated rhetoric surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict in American political discourse, where accusations of being an "AIPAC monkey" have become a common epithet among some pro-Palestinian activists directed at lawmakers they view as too closely aligned with the pro-Israel lobby.
Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal calls Hakeem Jeffries an ‘AIPAC monkey’ — claims she didn’t mean it in a ‘racist way’ New York Post
