A growing divide. More than 100 Democratic members of the House of Representatives voted this week in the United States to cut aid to Israel. The figure, inconceivable until recently, illustrates the growing fractures within the party, a few months before crucial elections where this thorny issue will be at the forefront.
Due to the almost unanimous opposition of the Republicans, the measure was not adopted. But it allowed many elected Democrats to express their rejection of the military campaign led by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.
The number two Democrat in the House of Representatives, Katherine Clark, voted in favor of the amendment in question, affirming: “The status quo is not tenable.” “We must not provide blank checks for military aid to countries that do not respect the laws, interests and values of the United States,” she said in a statement.
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The Democratic Party divided
However, like 97 other members of his camp, the leader of the Democratic minority in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, voted against, which reflects a notable gap between the two officials, supposed to be aligned to give clear voting instructions to their troops.
Just two years ago, when the war in Gaza was in full swing, only 37 Democratic lawmakers voted for a similar measure to cut American aid to Israel.
Once considered a consensus between Republicans and Democrats, the question of support for one of the United States’ closest allies divides the left.
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Already during the 2024 presidential campaign, many activists and progressive organizations had refused to support Kamala Harris, accused of inaction as vice-president in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
According to a poll recently conducted by the Ipsos institute with the Washington Post, nearly three-quarters of the Democrats surveyed want to at least reduce United States military aid to Israel, while 40% even want to eliminate it entirely.
From New York to Colorado, Democratic primaries in recent weeks have resulted in victories for progressives who criticize Israel prominently in their campaigns.
“More and more anti-Israel”
More Democratic candidates also say they now reject support from AIPAC, an organization that works to elect pro-Israel candidates.
While campaign dollars go a long way, many candidates are now calculating that such controversial support is not worth the effort.
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A little more than three months before the midterm elections, some pro-Israel Democratic elected officials are alarmed by the change. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania senator who has become one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Congress, said Wednesday that he would consider leaving the Democratic camp if the official party line became anti-Israel.
“Just look at the kind of guys who won our primaries recently,” the elected official said. “It’s becoming more and more anti-Israel and hostile towards people” who support this US ally.
Brian Romick, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel, said the amendment to cut aid to Israel should never have been put to a vote.
But “the number of Democrats who supported him sends a clear and strong message,” he said in a statement, emphasizing their “deep frustration” with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly in the face of the “devastation in Gaza” and the violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank.
With AFP
