‘We’re At That Point’: Democrats Press Biden To “Change Course On” Israel and Gaza

Congressional Democrats are pressing for changes in U.S. support for Israel following the death of seven aid workers for celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen aid group. 

At stake may be $14 billion in security aid to the country that the U.S. has long championed as the only democracy in the Middle East. The Democratic pressure, which intensified this past week, reflects growing angst within the party’s base that could undermine Joe Biden’s reelection.

Biden took the first step in a sharp conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, three days after Israeli forces struck a convoy of aid workers leaving a warehouse in central Gaza. He said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “unacceptable” and issued an ultimatum: support in the war against Hamas in Gaza depends on “immediate” and ”concrete” steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Biden ally, Israel advocate and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was asked on CNN on Thursday when the U.S. should pursue a change in policy toward Israel, rather than attempting to use diplomacy to limit civilian deaths in Gaza. 

“I think we’re at that point,” Coons said. “I’ve never been here before. I’ve been a strong supporter of Israel the whole time I’ve served in Congress.”

He continued: “The challenge is to make it clear that we support the Israeli people, that we want to and will continue to have a strong and close relationship with Israel, but that the tactics by which the current prime minister is making these decisions don’t reflect the best values of Israel or of the United States.”

Israel has said the attack was a mistake and that it targeted the aid workers believing they were “Hamas operatives.” The Israeli military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, crossed into Israel on Oct. 7 in the biggest terrorist attack in the nation’s history.

Following Biden and Netanyahu’s call, Israel announced it would reopen a crossing into Gaza to allow more aid to come through.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a relatively moderate Democrat and another Foreign Relations Committee member, said in a statement Friday that Israel has a right to defend itself but that the U.S.’ current approach to Israel “is not working.” He repeated a request for the Biden administration to withhold “bombs and other offensive weapons that can kill and wound civilians and humanitarian aid workers” and to provide only defensive aid.

Their comments add to the chorus of voices from the party’s left wing that have been raising concerns with Israel’s bombing campaign in the Gaza strip, where more than 30,000 people have been killed since last October.

Progressive Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. are circulating a letter to members that will be sent to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging them to rescind a recent arms transfer to Israel and withhold any future transfers if Israel “fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told the podcast “Pod Save America” on Friday that Biden should tell Netanyahu that “all military aid will cease” if thousands of aid trucks can’t enter Gaza. 

“One day the president is angry at Netanyahu,” he said. “The next day he’s very angry. And the next day he’s very, very angry. So What?!