The divisions are erupting as the House weighs a G.O.P. bid to censure the only Palestinian-American member of Congress for criticizing Israel and votes on a large aid bill to back Israel in the war in Gaza.
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Democrats are openly at odds as Congress is set to tackle sweeping emergency spending legislation to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israel’s war against Hamas is exposing deep divisions among Democrats in Congress, as the most outspoken supporters of the Jewish state and vocal pro-Palestinian members on the left trade accusations of bigotry and feud over what role the United States should play in the hostilities.
The tensions burst into the open last week after 15 House Democrats drew rebukes for refusing to vote for an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution that declared solidarity with Israel and condemned Hamas.
The situation is expected to escalate this week as the House debates an emergency $14.3 billion spending bill to provide security assistance for Israel. It will also consider a separate Republican-written resolution to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan and the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, for participating in a pro-Gaza rally this month at the Capitol, where she accused Israel of committing genocide.
The schism reflects a broader split inside the Democratic Party, where a left-leaning coalition of younger voters and people of color are breaking with President Biden over this staunch support of Israel, and primary battles are brewing between strong defenders of the Jewish state and progressives who promote Palestinian rights.
On Capitol Hill, the divide has been exacerbated by Republicans, who are eager to exploit the rift among their political rivals. Speaker Mike Johnson plans to hold a vote this week pairing a bill to fund Israel’s war effort with cuts to the I.R.S. that were a key part of Mr. Biden’s sweeping climate and health care law, a tough pill for Democrats to swallow. And some left-wing Democrats think Mr. Biden should have requested more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in his proposed emergency spending plan.
The House also is expected to vote as soon as Wednesday on the measure to formally censure Ms. Tlaib, who has harshly criticized Israel and expressed skepticism of U.S. intelligence findings that Israel was not culpable for a recent hospital bombing in Gaza. At the rally at the Capitol, she pleaded for a cease-fire, saying, “We are literally still watching people commit genocide and killing a vast majority just like this, and we still stand by and say nothing.”
The measure, which is sponsored by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, accuses Ms. Tlaib of “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection” at the Capitol.
Even the most pro-Israel Democrats appear disinclined to back Ms. Greene’s resolution.
“The language is extreme and over the top,” said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat of Florida, noting that the measure falsely refers to the pro-Gaza rally and sit-in, which was organized by Jewish antiwar groups, as an “insurrection.”
Several other Democrats scoffed at the idea that a lawmaker who once compared coronavirus mask and vaccine mandates to the treatment of Jews by Nazis during the Holocaust and promoted a conspiracy theory that space lasers controlled by Jews were responsible for wildfires in California, as Ms. Greene did, could credibly accuse a colleague of antisemitism.
But Ms. Wasserman Schultz said she had “deep concerns” that Ms. Tlaib was engaging in “inflammatory conduct” and savaged Democrats who have refused to condemn Hamas.
“I understand there are usual suspects that are not pro-Israel, that object to Israel’s policies, but we should all be against slaughter,” she said, referencing the 1,400 civilians and soldiers killed and 222 hostages seized when Hamas raided Israel. “If you’re not against slaughter, you don’t have a soul.”
ImageDemonstrators at a pro-Gaza rally at the Capitol earlier this month. Republicans in the House are seeking to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib for speaking at the rally.Credit…Al Drago for The New York Times
Her words infuriated Democrats who voted against last week’s resolution, some of whom responded in kind.
“To dehumanize someone else, you have to relinquish a piece of your own humanity,” said Representative Summer Lee, Democrat of Pennsylvania, questioning why Ms. Wasserman Schultz and the resolution had not expressed similar outrage over the deaths of Palestinians. “It’s not us who are without a soul. I would say that she should maybe do some introspection.”
Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, has said that more than 8,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Oct. 7. That figure could not be verified independently, and Mr. Biden has said he had “no confidence” in the figures.
Similar spats have been playing out throughout House Democratic ranks. Last week, Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Democrats who had voted against the measure expressing solidarity with Israel “are despicable and do not speak for our party.”
The next day, Representative André Carson, Democrat of Indiana and one of Congress’s few Muslim members, retorted on CNN that Mr. Gottheimer was “a coward, and he’s a punk.”
Some Democrats have tried to smooth over the tensions, arguing the disputes are playing out only on the margins of the party.
“I’m frankly impressed by the overwhelming support that the House of Representatives showed for Israel,” Representative Dan Goldman, Democrat of New York, said of the resolution. “It’s important that we continue to have conversations with those people who are not currently supporting us.”
But in the days ahead, the divisions promise to become more apparent, as lawmakers face the question of whether to actually send funding and supplies to Israel.
Many Democrats have already criticized the G.O.P.’s plan to split off Israel funding as a solitary measure, instead of honoring Mr. Biden’s request to pair it with more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine’s fight against Russia — an increasingly unpopular war effort among Republican members. They also oppose the Republican plan to compensate for the money for Israel with spending cuts to other parts of the federal budget. More still are expected to recoil at the Republican plan to vote on a measure that provides Israel with weapons and other security materials but does not include any humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians.
The critics of Israel have been emboldened in recent days as the number of congressional Democrats calling for a cease-fire has grown.
“The U.S. must stop funding these atrocities against Palestinians,” Representative Cori Bush, Democrat of Missouri, who led the initial call for an end to hostilities, wrote on X on Sunday.
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Source: nytimes.com
