Black Democratic congressman compares Jewish Israeli settlers in the West Bank to 'termites' who steal and destroy Palestinian homes

Hank Johnson ranted about policies toward Palestine at an anti-Israel event
U.S. rep for Georgia's 4th district said homes were being 'appropriated'
Also likened Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Donald Trump
He later apologized and said he had made a 'poor choice of words'
His office insisted the termite metaphor was referring to the 'corrosive process' rather than the people

A Democratic congressman has compared Jewish Israeli settlers in the West Bank to 'termites'.

Hank Johnson, the representative for Georgia's 4th district, reportedly ranted about the policies towards Palestinians at an event sponsored by an anti-Israel organization in Philadelphia.

The 61-year-old said the Jews living in the disputed region steal and destroy homes.

He also compared Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

According to the Free Beacon, the audience at the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation talk agreed with the comment.

'There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you've been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming,' Johnson said.

He added: 'It has come to the point that occupation, with highways that cut through Palestinian land, with walls that go up, with the inability or the restriction, with the illegality of Palestinians being able to travel on those roads and those roads cutting off Palestinian neighborhoods from each other.

'And then with the building of walls and the building of check points that restrict movement of Palestinians. We've gotten to the point where the thought of a Palestinian homeland gets further and further removed from reality.

'You see one home after another being appropriated by Jewish people who come in to claim that land just because somebody did not spend the night there,' he went on.

'The home their [Palestinian] ancestors lived in for generations becomes an Israeli home and a flag goes up, the Palestinians are barred from flying flags in their own neighborhoods.'

The politician later apologized after he was slammed on social media.

He tweeted: 'Poor choice of words – apologies for offense. Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution.'

The Anti-Defamation league criticized his comments and demanded an apology.

They wrote on Twitter: 'This is an offensive and unhelpful characterization. Demonization, dehumanization of settlers doesn’t

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