Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) promised on Monday to confront her colleague Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) about comments she made regarding Hamas' use of rape in their Oct. 7 attack.
On Sunday, Jayapal ignited outrage by asserting that criticism of Hamas for using rape as a weapon of war should be "balanced" while at the same time downplaying the significance of what Hamas did by claiming rape just "happens" in wartime.
Those comments necessitate a frank conversation, Dingell responded.
"I'm going to talk to Pramila, I have a call in to her," the congresswoman said on CNN. "I'm raw on this subject because of the hate that I have had directed at me for speaking the truth. I will speak the truth. And I don’t care who it is. Rape is an act of violence, and it becomes too often a tool in any act of war."
What exactly happened to Dingell? According to the Michigan Democrat, in the immediate aftermath of Hamas' attack, she condemned the terrorist group's use of rape, which led to public attacks.
"Palestinian men went after me, called me a liar, demanded I retract it. I got doxxed over the subject. I have spent the last seven weeks researching the raping of women that has occurred in the Middle East. It is outrageous. I condemn it," she said.
Dingell, moreover, did what the White House refused to do.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Monday if the Biden administration believes Jayapal's comments were "appropriate." Jean-Pierre condemned Hamas but outright refused to address the appropriateness of Jayapal's remarks.
The documentation of violence that Hamas perpetrated against women is extensive. Yet Palestinian apologists have dodged acknowledging and condemning it outright. It took about two months, for example, before U.N. Women, the United Nations agency tasked with advocating for women and girls, condemned Hamas for its attack.
In the wake of Jayapal's comments, Dingell and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) plan to introduce a resolution specifically condemning Hamas for perpetrating sexual violence against women.
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