Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson Apologizes for 'Poor Choice of Words'

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, who represents much of DeKalb County in Georgia's 4th Congressional District, said on Monday that Jewish settlers living in disputed Middle Eastern territories are like "termites."

Johnson was speaking at an event sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, reports The Washington Free Beacon. The event was held in Philadelphia, where the Democratic National Convention is getting underway.

Johnson, a Democrat who sits on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, said, “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.

"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,” Johnson continued. “We’ve gotten to the point where the thought of a Palestinian homeland gets further and further removed from reality.”

On Monday afternoon, Johnson, in a statement, said he "understands it was poor choice of words.

"The point is settlement activity continues to slowly and deliberately undermine the possibility of a two-state solution," Johnson said.

“The increasingly violent situation in Israel and Palestine is unsustainable," he said. "Corrosive settlement policies undermine the ability of all citizens in the region to enjoy healthy, peaceful lives in safe communities. We must work to promote policies that support a two-state solution and encourage trust between both sides.”

Johnson also said the headline of the Free Beacon story is wrong. Johnson's office said he did not call Israelis termites but did say the settlement policies threaten peace and the two-state solution.

"He did not intend to insult or speak derogatorily of the Israelis or the Jewish people," his office said. "When using the metaphor of termites, the congressman was referring to the corrosive process, not the people. The congressman regrets the misinterpretation of his comments and looks forward to continued dialogue on this issue."

This isn't the first time that Johnson has made headlines with his comments. In 2010, Johnson voiced concern that the island nation of Guam would capsize if too many people lived on it.

Johnson is in his fifth term as the congressman from Georgia's 4th district, which also includes portions of Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale.

Image: U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson's office