Israel is a racist entity, according to US Representative Pramila Jayapal, who also emphasized that there is organized hostility to progressive critics of Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

"I want you to know that we are struggling to make it clear that Israel is racist, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and independence, and that the dream of a two-state solution is moving away from us and becoming unattainable," Jayapal said in a panel discussion at an annual progressive conference in Chicago.

Jayapal denounced Israel's takeoverof West Bank territory and urged Congress to impose conditions on Israel's military assistance if it continued to use funds provided by American taxpayers to violate Palestinian human rights.