Democrat Civil War Is Reaching a Boiling Point

Democratic infighting over the war between Israel and Hamas is reaching a new boiling point.

Democrats are divided over the U.S. response to the war, which began after Hamas launched thousands of missiles from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said his country is at war with Hamas, cutting off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine to Gaza while launching an invasion. About 1,400 people in Israel and 9,061 in Gaza have been killed amid the fighting, according to the Associated Press.

President Joe Biden has responded to the conflict by broadly showing support for Israel, supporting its right to defend itself against the attack, with members of his administration calling for Congress to pass military aid for Israel. Biden has also warned Netanyahu about taking measures to mitigate the number of civilian deaths, calling for a "pause" in the fighting.

Many progressives, on the other hand, are calling for Biden to back a ceasefire, accusing the president of not doing enough to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. Many of these critics have long raised concerns about Washington's longstanding support for Israel despite humanitarian concerns about the treatment of Palestinian civilians.

Divisions between Democratic moderates and progressives are not new, but have deepened amid the conflict. Left-wing protesters have heckled Biden and interrupted Senate hearings, while Democratic members of Congress have publicly traded criticisms over the issue.

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University professor of political science and religious studies, also chair of the latter, told Newsweek Thursday that seeing these divisions grow amid the conflict is unsurprising.

"There have always been divisions. But the war is heightening divides and exacerbating tensions not only within the Democratic Party concerning support for Palestinian rights but also amongst supporters of Israel across both parties who do not agree on how (or whether) to prevent genocide while also trying to defend a longstanding ally. The ground is moving beneath our feet on these issues as we speak," she said in a statement.

Tensions were on display a during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Israel aid Tuesday after a group of activists interrupted the meeting to protest the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, shouting, "You're the terrorist."

On Wednesday, Biden faced heckling from Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, who interrupted his speech in Northfield, Minnesota, urging him to support a ceasefire.

"Mr. President, if you care about Jewish people, as a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now," she said.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Thursday.

Congressional Democrats Spar Over Israel-Hamas Conflict

Divisions over the war have also seeped into Congress, where Democratic lawmakers have voiced strong criticisms against one another over their positions on Israel.

Representative Ritchie Torres of New York, for instance, has voiced criticisms of his fellow Democrats who opposed more unconditional aid for Israel, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush, of Michigan and Missouri, respectively.

"U.S. aid to Israel is and should be unconditional, and never more so than in this moment of critical need. Congress must act decisively to provide Israel with whatever it needs to defend itself in the face of unprecedented terrorism. Shame on anyone who glorifies as 'resistance' the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. It is reprehensible and repulsive,'" he wrote.

During a press conference last month, Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, asked, "How many more Palestinian lives is [Torres] comfortable with [losing]?" Torres responded on CNN, saying that "every casualty is a tragedy," but that he believes Hamas started the war.

Shakman Hurd said she hopes and believes Democratic lawmakers will find common ground "around the shared humanity" of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians, adding that she expects a more "balanced and fair approach" by Washington to the conflict.

Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, on Thursday became the first senator to join calls for a ceasefire during a CNN interview.

Tlaib Facing Attack Ad Over Israel Comments

Congress Wednesday night voted against censuring Tlaib over past remarks on Israel, with some Republicans joining Democrats against the measure, arguing her comments are protected by the First Amendment.

But Tlaib, who is Palestinian, is now facing an attack ad from the organization Democratic Majority for Israel over her stance. The six-figure ad calls attention to her votes against funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense system and opposing a resolution standing with Israel.

In a press release, Tlaib wrote she opposed that resolution because it did not also mourn the lives of Palestinians killed in the conflict.

"Do not confuse my vote against this one-sided resolution with a lack of empathy for all those who are grieving. I voted against this resolution because it is a deeply incomplete and biased account of what is happening in Israel and Palestine, and what has been happening for decades," she wrote.