(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Leftist Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., faced criticism for her inexplicable response regarding the reports of mass sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against Israeli women on Oct. 7.
Jayapal’s remarks occurred during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, where the anchor pressed the lawmaker about the left’s apparent silence in condemning violence against women.
“I think we have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against Palestinians,” Jayapal responded when specifically asked about the inhumane atrocities by Hamas.
Rep Pramila Jayapal tells Dana Bash on CNN that sexual violence happens in war situations, but rape was a tool used by Hamas terrorists to incite war on Oct 7. pic.twitter.com/uYar4HvzaY
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 3, 2023
Earlier in the interview, Bash highlighted the surprising silence, especially among leftist individuals.
“I’ve seen a lot of progressive women. Generally speaking, they’re quick to defend women’s rights and to speak out against using rape as a weapon of war, but downright silent on what we saw on October 7th and what might be happening inside Gaza right now to these hostages,” Bash said. “Why is that?”
Jayapal contested Bash’s assertion. “I don’t know that that’s true,” she replied. “I think we always talk about the impact of war on women in particular.”
The lawmaker insisted she had “absolutely” condemned the violence. “Specifically against women?” Bash pressed, to which Jayapal affirmed, “Of course!”
Good on @DanaBashCNN to continually press @RepJayapal on condemning Hamas’ horrific sexual violence against Israeli women. Jayapal repeatedly said she spoke out specifically against the sexual violence but has apparently not done so, at least on X. (1/2)
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) December 3, 2023
However, Bash’s colleague, Bianna Golodryga, pointed out the absence of any mention of sexual violence on Jayapal’s social media accounts.
“Jayapal repeatedly said she spoke out specifically against the sexual violence but has apparently not done so, at least on X,” Golodryga stated on Twitter.
During the interview, Jayapal attempted to steer the conversation toward alleged indiscriminate attacks by Israel on the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, resulting in reported civilian casualties.
“I think we cannot say that one war crime deserves another,’ Jayapal claimed. “That is not what international humanitarian law says.”
But Bash interjected, emphasizing, “With respect, I was just asking about the women, and you turned it back to Israel. I’m asking you about Hamas…”
The intense exchange comes as the United Nations face widespread criticism for its unexplained silence concerning Hamas’s widespread actions against women and children.
A leading expert, commissioned by the Israeli government, described Hamas’s actions as a “weaponized” sexual assault targeting Israeli women in an attempt to destroy the spirit of the Jewish nation.
Survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack have detailed witnessing the rape of innocent women and the Israeli government described reportedly finding the remains of semen on a killed teenage girl.
In what should be no surprise, Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal has double standards when it comes to sexual violence. https://t.co/b0RLFXpG1g pic.twitter.com/UebUnTQYHv
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 3, 2023
