JEFFERSON CITY — One of the candidates running to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District issued a statement Thursday distancing himself from an ex-girlfriend who has generated criticism for her antisemitic statements.
State Sen. Steve Roberts, D-Ƶ, released an “” saying he “briefly dated Neveen Ayesh some years ago” but broke up with her “after her views became clear to me.”
But Ayesh, who on her Twitter profile lists herself as the government relations coordinator for Missouri chapter, said Friday that she and Roberts broke up because “he cheated on me.”
“He said he briefly dated (me) but that’s a lie too we dated and lived together for a little under 2 years,” she said via Facebook Messenger.
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The “he said, she said” is the latest twist in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary between Roberts, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and three other candidates as Roberts tries to secure support from members of Ƶ’ Jewish community.
Ayesh is supporting Bush in the primary.
A spokesman for Roberts’ campaign said the state senator issued the open letter in response to questions about his past with Ayesh, who has been tweeting about Roberts.
Ryan Hawkins, the spokesman, said the campaign fielded questions from supporters after titled “Meet the Cori Bush Supporter Who Wants to Burn Jews Alive.”
A 2014 tweet by Ayesh mentioned in the article says “I want to set Israel on fire with my own hands & watch it burn to ashes along with every Israeli in it.”
Ayesh’s Twitter account is no longer available to the public, , which says it dedicates itself to exposing hatred and antisemitism, published a video on Tuesday tying Ayesh to Bush.
The video mentions past antisemitic statements by Ayesh, including “#ThingsWeAllHate Jews,” “never trust a Jew” and “I tried befriending a Jew once. Worst idea ever.”
Ayesh, on Wednesday, said on Twitter “Did I tweet horrible things I am currently being harassed about tweeting once upon a time? Yes.”
She said “I want to take ownership and acknowledge how horrendous the context of those tweets actually are. I was young, dumb, & said horrible things that I never acted on, that I would never act on, because I am not that person.”
“My words came from a place of both pain & anger,” she said. “I grew up under occupation & spent the rest of my life watching it. Before I moved back to America, the only interaction I ever had with a Jewish person was through the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”
Ayesh told the Post-Dispatch on Friday via Facebook Messenger that she supports Bush and did so even before the congresswoman took office and while she was dating Roberts.
“My response to encountering antisemitism was to reject it,” Roberts said in his statement Thursday. “Cori Bush’s response is to embrace it. This is just one of the many reasons why I am running to unseat her.”
“Cori is a champion of human rights,” Ayesh said. “She doesn’t care what your resume looks like, how much you make, or what your background is. She does what’s right because she actually cares and isn’t looking for a career upgrade.”
“I went through hell before I left him,” Ayesh said. “He’s using my identity as a Palestinian to attack me ... And make himself look good in front of the Israeli lobby.”
Ayesh shared a picture of Roberts that she said showed him wearing a necklace with a silver pendant, shaped like Israel, with the word “Palestine” written in Arabic on it. She also shared a picture of Roberts that she said showed him reading the Quran.
Roberts voted against the in 2020, which bars the state from contracting with companies engaged in a boycott of goods and services from Israel or Israeli companies.
Hawkins said Roberts regrets his “no” vote on the bill.
Ayesh said, “He’ll do anything he wants to get into office.”
After the Roberts campaign released his statement Thursday, Ayesh said on Twitter, “Tell Steve I’ll be cutting my trip short and seeing him in court.”
President Joe Biden visited both Israel and the West Bank this week.
In the West Bank, Biden said Friday that an independent state for Palestinians “can seem so far away” as he confronted hopelessness about the stagnant peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians during a visit.
“The Palestinian people are hurting now,” Biden said. “You can just feel it. Your grief and frustration. In the United States, we can feel it.”
Biden also reinforced the United States’ close ties to Israel.
In an interview he dismissed some Democratic lawmakers who have objected to providing security assistance to Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.
“There are few of them,” Biden said. “I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake. Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend. And I make no apologies for what we’ve provided.”
Bush voted against additional funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system in Israel and called the country an “apartheid state.”
Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted at 2:45 p.m. Friday, July 15.