Over 100 Dems Vote to Cut Israel Aid   07/16 06:15

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half the House Democrats voted Wednesday to 
strip $3.3 billion in U.S. aid from Israel, the most substantial signal yet 
that once rock-solid bipartisan support for the country is disintegrating in 
the aftermath of its war in Gaza that has killed thousands of Palestinians.

   The vote tally, 104-314, was not enough to attach the amendment to a broader 
national security spending bill, but stands as a stark accounting of the 
shifting attitudes that are dividing the Democratic Party and the nation over 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war strategy, now approaching its 
third year.

   The House's Democratic leadership split over the issue in what was largely 
seen as a test vote ahead of the U.S. midterm elections that will determine 
control of Congress. More than 100 Democrats voted for the amendment to strip 
the foreign military aid money, and almost as many voted against. Most 
Republicans voted to preserve the Israel aid.

   House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who announced he opposed the 
measure that would zero out the aid, nevertheless said "that for the good of 
Israel and the Palestinian people, American policy in the Middle East must 
change."

   Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues, ahead of a private caucus meeting 
this week where he spoke on the issue, that he believes "there are more 
decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the 
far-right Netanyahu government."

   Democrats divided over US support for Israel

   The deepening divide over Israel threatens to upend the Democratic Party as 
it faces an energized left flank that is promoting self-proclaimed democratic 
socialists in a handful of marquee House races, particularly last month in New 
York.

   While more traditional Democrats have stood with U.S. support for Israel, a 
growing number have distanced themselves from Netanyahu's strategy as the war 
has dragged on in a prolonged response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on 
Israel.

   The Democratic Whip, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, announced she 
would support the measure to withhold the funds.

   Republicans have seized on the divide to portray Democrats as being 
overtaken by their more radical far-left elements, even as House Speaker Mike 
Johnson faces divisions within his own ranks as President Donald Trump's most 
ardent America First Republicans lean toward less foreign military spending.

   According to an AP-NORC poll this month, about one-third of U.S. adults -- 
including roughly half of Democrats -- believe Israel has committed genocide 
against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, an accusation that's been leveled 
by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. 
government.

   Amendment pushed forward from Rep. Thomas Massie

   The amendment to strip Israel's foreign aid was offered by Rep. Thomas 
Massie, the libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican who lost his own bid for 
reelection after Trump backed his challenger.

   During the floor debate, Massie said the $3.3 billion could be better spent 
at home on U.S. roads, bridges and veterans' needs, especially as national 
deficits are on the rise. He said the American weapons were used on "oftentimes 
innocent civilians."

   "I think we should stop it -- we should put them on a diet," Massie said.

   But Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, himself a former party leader, 
championed longtime support of Israel and warned against withdrawing U.S. aid.

   "I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, which would dangerously 
undermine American national security," Hoyer said. He said it would limit the 
United States' ability to confront terrorist organizations like Hamas and 
Hezbollah, which he said "expressly target American citizens and military 
personnel."

   Lawmakers under pressure as midterms near

   The lawmakers were feeling pressure from all sides as they prepare for 
midterm elections this fall.

   The powerful American-Israel group AIPAC encouraged its supporters to 
contact members of Congress to register their opposition.

   "We must ensure his dangerous amendment is defeated," AIPAC said in a 
statement ahead of the vote.

   At the same time, the progressive advocacy organization J Street gave 
lawmakers more leeway to express their views, as Jeffries did, even as the 
group opposed the amendment as poorly drafted and overly broad.

   President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement that J Street recognizes "that, 
for many Democrats, this is one of the few opportunities to cast a recorded 
vote expressing opposition to the way American military assistance and 
American-supplied weapons have been used by the Israeli government in Gaza, the 
West Bank, Lebanon and elsewhere."

   He said that what unites the majority of Democrats "is far more significant" 
than this vote as they work to support "the security and rights of both 
Israelis and Palestinians."