WASHINGTON - A group of Democrats released a letter on Monday in which they express deep concern about "unacceptable" comments made over the weekend by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, in which she characterized Israel as a "racist state."

"Israel is the legitimate homeland of the Jewish people and efforts to delegitimize and demonize it are not only dangerous and antisemitic, but they also undermine America's national security," the Democrats said in the letter. "We will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to hijack the Democratic Party and country."

The letter was released on Monday afternoon with 43 signatories.

The House is expected to vote on a concurrent resolution on Tuesday that declares "the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state." The resolution was introduced by Rep. August Pflugerm, R-Texas, in response to Jayapal's comments.

The top three House Democrats - Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Reps. Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California - also released a joint statement Sunday night saying that "Israel is not a racist state." It did not mention Jayapal by name.

Jayapal sparked the controversy Saturday while addressing pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted a panel discussion at the Netroots Nation conference in Chicago.

"As somebody who's been in the streets and participated in a lot of demonstrations, I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible," she said.

Jayapal sought to clarify her remarks Sunday, saying in a lengthy statement that she does not "believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist" and offering an apology to "those who I have hurt with my words."

She added: "I do, however, believe that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government."

The controversy comes ahead of a scheduled address to a joint meeting of Congress this week by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Several liberal Democratic lawmakers - including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missour - have said they will not attend, citing concerns about human rights. Herzog also is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested that Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, take action against Jayapal.

"I think this is a role for the leader, Hakeem, to prove that, no, they're not antisemitic and they cannot allow their members to continue to say what they have said in the past."

John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman, told reporters at the White House on Monday that the administration was glad to see Jayapal's apology.

"She apologized and we're glad she did," Kirby said. "We think an apology was the right thing to do for those comments."

In her statement Sunday, Jayapal said that she was trying to defuse a "tense situation" on Saturday and that she has always worked toward "a two-state solution that allows both Israelis and Palestinians to live freely, safely, and with self-determination alongside each other."

"I also know that the many policies of the current Israeli government, including rampant settlement expansion, make it extremely difficult for Palestinians, who simply want the same rights as their Israeli neighbors, to believe such a solution is possible," she added.

In their letter, the Democrats pushing back against Jayapal's comments Saturday touted the value of Israel as a U.S. ally.

"Israel remains the only vibrant, progressive, and inclusive democracy in the region," they wrote. "Arab parties serve in the Knesset, women serve at the highest levels of the military, and the country remains an oasis for LGBTQ+ people in a region hostile toward the community. Pluralism flourishes in Israel."

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The Washington Post's Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.