House Democratic split over Israel aid widens before US midterms

More than 100 Democrats in the US House of Representatives voted this week to cut military aid to Israel, showing a widening split inside the party before November's midterm elections.

The measure was introduced by conservative Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie and was defeated by a large margin. Nearly all Republicans and 98 Democrats opposed it. But 103 Democrats backed ending the aid, and 10 others voted present.

The vote reached senior Democratic ranks. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the amendment, but his deputy Katherine Clark supported it. Former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has long supported the US-Israel alliance, also voted for it.

Pelosi said US policy must change for the good of Israelis and Palestinians. Clark said Washington should not provide a blank check to any country that does not comply with US law, interests and values.

The amendment had little chance of becoming law. But it showed how support for Israel has weakened inside the Democratic Party after years of war in Gaza, rising Palestinian casualties and frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government.

A Washington Post-Ipsos poll found that nearly three-quarters of Democrats wanted to reduce or end military support for Israel, while 40 percent wanted to eliminate it completely. Other surveys cited in the source showed that younger Americans are less willing than older voters to support unconditional US backing for Israel.

The shift is also appearing in Democratic primaries. Progressive candidates in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Colorado have won races while openly criticising US aid to Israel and the influence of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. In Michigan, Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has made opposition to Israel's war and US military aid central to his campaign against Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who has long supported Israel and is backed by pro-Israel groups.

The issue has national political implications. Anger over Gaza helped weaken Democrats in Arab American areas of Michigan in the 2024 presidential election, when Donald Trump won the state. Party strategists fear the issue could again reduce turnout or deepen conflict within the party.

Progressives say Democratic leaders are only now catching up with their voters. They argue that the party cannot campaign credibly on human rights, economic justice and opposition to Trump while continuing to send billions in military aid to Netanyahu's government.

Pro-Israel Democrats warn that the left is moving too far and too quickly. They say Republicans will use the divide to portray Democrats as hostile to Israel, weak on security or tolerant of antisemitism. The National Republican Congressional Committee said after the vote that Democrats had become consumed by what it called a radical, antisemitic faction and said voters would remember.

The dispute is also affecting Democratic unity in the Senate. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, one of the strongest pro-Israel voices in the party, said at a political event in Washington that he would consider leaving if Democrats officially became what he called the anti-Israel party. He also said recent primary winners were becoming more anti-Israel and hostile to people who support Israel.

Democratic Majority for Israel, which supported defeating Massie's amendment, called the measure reckless and said it would have weakened Israel and harmed US security interests. The group also said the number of Democrats who supported the measure sent a loud and clear message that Israel must repair its relationship with the party, especially younger voters.