Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal came under fire Friday after referring to US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as an “AIPAC monkey,” prompting accusations that her language was racist.

Appearing on New York Times columnist Wajahat Ali’s left-wing podcast “The Left Hook,” Jebreal discussed the meaning of Jeffries’ first name before criticizing his political positions.

“He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey,” she said, before adding, “with all due respect and I don’t mean it in a racist way.”

Jebreal continued her criticism by portraying Jeffries as someone who simply carries out the wishes of others.

“He is just basically an errand boy, and we’re done and tired,” Jebreal continued.

Jeffries, a Democrat, has received substantial political contributions associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the prominent pro-Israel lobbying organization, over the course of his political career.

After Jebreal made the remark, Ali sought to address the racial implications of the language, saying that “using ‘monkey’ to anyone black… has terrible racial connotations, but I think you caught yourself and said that you didn’t mean it with any racial animosity.”

Jebreal subsequently explained that her use of the word “monkey” was intended as a reference to Japan’s traditional “three wise monkeys,” associated with the phrases see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The term, however, has a long history as a racist insult directed at Black people.

Her explanation did not prevent criticism from Black members of Congress, who condemned the wording.

“To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries, a Black man, a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy,’” the Congressional Black Caucus posted on X. “We have to stop platforming and trafficking in anti-Black racism, whether it’s on the political right or the left.”

New York Representative Ritchie Torres, a prominent congressional supporter of Israel, likewise criticized Jebreal’s comments in a post on X.

“Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Full stop,” he wrote. “If Wajahat Ali and Rula Jebreal were on the far right, no one on the far left would have any trouble condemning them for dehumanizing a Black man in racist terms.”

Jeffries has not publicly commented on Jebreal’s remarks.

Jebreal, who was born in Haifa and holds both Israeli and Italian citizenship, is a longtime critic of Israel and its policies toward Palestinians.

Following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, which Jebreal has described as a war crime, she has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid.