Democrats head to Israel amid war, House dysfunction, and 2024 presidential race

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, Democratic leaders have stepped up their public support for Israel, with some traveling to the still-grieving nation in an act of solidarity.

President Joe Biden, Sectary of State Antony Blinken, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the first Jewish leader of the Senate, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) have all either traveled to Israel or announced plans to visit.

BIDEN GOES DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC ON ISRAEL AND UKRAINE WITH OVAL OFFICE ADDRESS

For some of the governors, the Israel trips could help brandish their foreign policy chops should they decide to seek higher office, such as the presidency in the future. And for Biden, this unforeseen war could become one of the defining moments of his presidency.

Biden expressed American support for Israel in its battle against Hamas, even going so far as to make a prime-time address to the American people on the Middle East conflict Thursday night and then requesting a $106 billion foreign aid package from Congress, which includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion for Ukraine’s war against Russia.

“In Israel, we must make sure that they have what they need to protect their people today and always,” Biden said during his address. “The security package I’m sending to Congress and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge, which we’ve committed to, the qualitative military edge.”

“We’re going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel,” the president continued. “We’re going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading.”

But Biden and his fellow Democrats travel to Israel belie several tensions in the U.S. that threaten the foreign aid package. Chief among those issues is that House Republicans have not elected a replacement after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-CA) ouster. On Friday afternoon, House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as speaker nominee after House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise bowed out of the race earlier this month. Without a House Speaker, aid for Israel and Ukraine cannot pass, and congressional lawmakers are heading toward another government shutdown if all 12 appropriation bills are not passed by Nov. 17.

“Because of the failures of the House Republicans, I don’t know how they’re going to do anything,” Mark Mellman, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel, told the Washington Examiner on Congress approving aid for Israel. “If there were a vote, there would be overwhelming support in both the House and the Senate. But House Republicans are unable to get themselves in a position where they’re allowed to vote.”

Also complicating matters is intraparty tensions among Democrats, some of whom have criticized Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza and have called for a ceasefire. Progressive House Democrats wrote an open letter last week, signed by 55 lawmakers, pressuring Biden to push Israel to follow international law as it battles Hamas.

“We write to express our concerns regarding the unfolding humanitarian situation in Gaza as Israel responds to Hamas’ terrorist attack. We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ shocking and horrifying terrorist attack on Israel,” the letter states before turning to the nearly 200 hostages that Hamas kidnapped during its attack.

“As efforts are made to rescue hostages, we urge those carrying out military operations to follow international humanitarian law and protect innocent civilian lives on both sides,” the letter continues.

Republicans have cited “Squad” members, a group of progressive House Democrats, for expressing anti-Israel efforts amid the war. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a GOP presidential candidate, called for the expulsion of Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian American member of Congress; Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; Ilhan Omar (D-MN); and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in a New York Post op-ed this week.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), another “Squad” member, introduced a resolution on Monday, backed by progressives, calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “I am grieving for every Palestinian, Israeli, and American life lost to this violence, and my heart breaks for all those who will be forever traumatized because of it,” Bush said in a statement. “War and retaliatory violence doesn’t achieve accountability or justice; it only leads to more death and human suffering.”

Distinguished senior fellow on U.S. diplomacy at the Middle East Institute and former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein called the resolution “terribly predictable” in an interview with the Washington Examiner.

“The calls internationally for putting an end to this, particularly the suffering of Palestinian civilians without adequate food, shelter, or medicine or anything else, is only going to get more and more insistent, so no surprise there,” said Feierstein, who served under former President Barack Obama.

The former ambassador said the conflict won’t end through military intervention but instead through a political process. “Neither side is ever going to achieve its objectives through violence,” Feierstein said. “There is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nor is there obviously a terrorism solution to it. The only solution is through negotiations through a political process, and the United States has a responsibility there to help the parties achieve an agreement.”

Republican candidates running for president, however, disagree with some calling for the total eradication of Hamas while blaming Biden’s foreign policy failures for resulting in the Middle East war.

“President Trump has said repeatedly in the wake of the evil terrorist attacks on Israel that the United States must support Israel 100 PERCENT. Israel is one of our closest and most cherished allies — and they must have everything they need to defend themselves from those who want to wipe Israel from the map,” Trump’s campaign said in a Thursday statement. “But that is just the beginning. The United States must immediately return to the Trump policies of completely and totally defunding each and every one of Israel’s mortal enemies, starting with Hamas and their terrorist sponsor, Iran.”

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and nearly 100 people taken hostage after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, the deadliest attack on the nation since its 1948 founding.

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As Biden and his fellow party members continue to travel to Israel, a “powerful” message is sent to the world, said Mellman, the head of the Democratic Majority for Israel. “It gives comfort to Israelis who are suffering, tremendous shock and grief,” he said. “Second, that kind of close relationship, as President Biden has demonstrated, enables America to have more influence with the Israeli government.”

“And third, it sends a powerful and important message to Israel’s enemies,” Mellman added. “That America is standing with Israel, and that message is important in creating the deterrence that will hopefully keep Hezbollah and others out of this conflict.”