Washington – The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on a symbolic resolution on Tuesday reaffirming full support for Israel in an implicit rebuke of Democrat Pramila Jayapal's comment that Israel is a "racist state."

The representative from Washington caused a firestorm on Saturday by describing Israel as a "racist state" at a convention in Chicago. She walked back the comment the following day, limiting her description to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. 

412 lawmakers voted in favor of the Republican-backed resolution, with only nine Democrats opposing. 

"The State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state, Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia, and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel," the resolution said.

Representatives Jamal Bowman (New York), Cory Bush (Missouri), Andre Carson (Indiana), Summer Lee (Pennsylvania), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York State), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Ayanna Presley (Massachusetts), Delia Ramirez (Illinois) and Rashida Tlaib (Michigan) all voted against, while Betty McCollum (Minnesota) abstained. Jayapal herself, however, voted in favor of the resolution. 

The vote came as Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with U.S. President Joe Biden, ahead of his address to Congress on Wednesday. Some progressive lawmakers, including Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, have said that they will boycott the speech. 

In an address to the House, Tlaib called Israel "an apartheid state," citing reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem.

"The decisive vote by House Democrats in support of the Israeli decision demonstrates once again our strong commitment to the State of Israel and its right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people," said House Minority Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries.