A contentious exchange occurred on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Sept. 17, during a hearing focused on the rising incidence of hate crimes, particularly in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict that began nearly a year ago. The confrontation involved Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute.
Berry testified as one of the witnesses. During questioning, Kennedy asked her about her views on Hamas, to which she responded that she does not support the organization.
The senator then shifted the focus to her support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The organization, to which the U.S. has provided hundreds of millions of dollars, has faced its share of controversy after international investigation found that nine employees within UNRWA were working for Hamas.
They also helped plan the terror attack on Israel, according to the United Nations Office of Oversight. This discovery, along with findings that some UNRWA educators expressed antisemitic sentiments and called for violence against Jews, led Congress to cut off U.S. funding to the relief agency.
Kennedy raised these issues as he questioned Berry, resulting in chaos on the floor.
Kennedy questioned Berry’s support for UNRWA and tied it directly to Hamas. Berry reiterated her stance against Hamas and expressed concern that the questioning reflected broader issues.
In a pointed moment, Kennedy said, “You should hide your head in a bag.” The comment drew immediate backlash from Democratic members of the committee. Berry had a chance to respond later in the hearing.
“This has been regrettably a real disappointment but very much an indication of the danger to our democratic institutions that we’re in now,” Berry said. “I deeply regret that and I hope my testimony today has been helpful to understanding the need to respond to hate.”
