Major Shift: Support for Israel Erodes in US House of Representatives

The US House of Representatives rejected a proposal to halt all American aid to Israel on Wednesday, but the vote revealed a dramatic shift within the Democratic Party, moving away from decades of near-unconditional support. The amendment, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, sought to eliminate all 3.3 billion dollars allocated for military and humanitarian aid to Israel from the foreign affairs spending bill. Although the measure failed by a vote of 314 to 104, more Democrats supported the move than opposed it. According to The New York Times, 103 Democrats voted to halt the aid, while 98 voted against it. The newspaper noted that more than half of the Democratic Caucus supported the measure or chose not to oppose it. Many Democrats backed the amendment despite objections to cutting humanitarian aid, arguing it was their only opportunity to formally register opposition to Israel’s policies in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon. Representative Greg Casar of Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, urged colleagues to support the measure. ‘While I wish we could vote on an amendment that only targets military aid—and certainly continues to support humanitarian programmes—we do not have that option,’ Casar wrote. ‘The American people are demanding an end to the use of US tax dollars to subsidise the Israeli military,’ he added. Representative Katherine Clark, the Democratic Whip, also supported the amendment despite reservations. ‘I believe we must change course,’ she said, as reported by The New York Times. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the proposal an ‘unfortunate choice’ but said she would support it ‘for the message it sends.’ The vote exposed deep divisions within the Democratic leadership. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar voted against the amendment, while Whip Clark voted in favour. According to The New York Times, Jeffries held two caucus meetings specifically on the issue—an unusual step reflecting the intensifying debate over Israel within the party. Although he opposed the amendment, Jeffries for the first time called for a ‘major overhaul’ in US-Israel relations and suggested that future American military aid could be conditioned on preventing human rights violations against Palestinians. He acknowledged there were ‘good-faith reasons that will cause members to vote in different ways.’