I Don't Believe Pramila Jayapal's "Unequivocal" Condemnation of Hamas Raping Israeli & Jewish Women

This evening Washington Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, issued a statement which read, “Let me be completely clear again that I unequivocally condemn Hamas’ use of rape and sexual violence as an act of war."

A little more than 48 hours ago, Jayapal very much equivocated on the question in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash who repeatedly asked her why she and other progressive women had been silent in Hamas' use of rape against Israeli and Jewish women during the October 7th attacks. Jayapal kept pivoting back to criticizing Israel:

Bash: OK, with respect, I was just asking about the women, and you turned it back to Israel. I’m asking you about Hamas.

Jayapal: I already answered your question, Dana. I said it’s horrific. And I think that rape is horrific. Sexual assault is horrific. I think that it happens in war situations. Terrorist organizations like Hamas obviously are using these as tools.

However, I think we have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against Palestinians. Fifteen thousand Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, three-quarters of whom are women and children.”

Bash: And it’s horrible, but you don’t see Israeli soldiers raping Palestinian women.

Jayapal: Well, Dana, I think we’re not — we’re not — I don’t want this to be the hierarchy of oppressions.

Indeed, the two are hardly the same. Aside from the fact one ought to avoid accepting the Hamas run Gaza Ministry of Health's claims at face value, it is Hamas which is using its own people as human shields. Israeli soldiers are not deliberately executing Palestinians and bragging about it on social media much less, as Bash pointed out, engaging in rape.

I, for one, do not believe Jayapal's unequivocal condemnation of Hamas any more than I believe her when she said back in July, “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist." Jayapal made that statement 48 hours after she declared at a conference, "We have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state!"

That's twice now. I am willing to bet that in a few months from now there will be a third time she will bash Israel and have to "apologize" for it. The Democratic Party needs to rein Jayapal in and do a better job of policing their own.