Democrats grow nervous over Israel’s conduct in war with Hamas – US politics live | Democrats
Democrats grow nervous over Israel conduct in war with Hamas
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Ever since Hamas’s 7 October attack against Israel, Joe Biden has projected steadfast support of the longtime US ally. But with Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip under way, the president’s Democratic allies are growing uneasy with the increasing toll of civilians killed or wounded. Dick Durbin became the first senator to call for a ceasefire yesterday, and later joined 12 other Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter asking for “a short-term cessation of hostilities” to facilitate the release of hostages taken by Hamas last month, and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv today to urge Israel’s leadership to show more restraint in its campaign in Gaza.
The shift in sentiment comes as Israel awaits a new infusion of military aid Biden requested after visiting the country last month, but which is currently caught up in Capitol Hill’s partisan meat grinder. The Republican-led House of Representatives yesterday approved $14b in aid to Israel while simultaneously cutting the budget of the IRS tax authority – a proposition unpalatable to most Democrats. The Senate’s Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says his chamber won’t consider the bill, and is instead working on its own broader package that will include aid to Ukraine and pay for increased security on the southern border. All these will be stories to watch today.
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Key events
It’s not just Senate Democrats that are concerned about how Israel is carrying out its invasion of Gaza, and how that might reflect on the United States.
Yesterday, NBC News reported some Biden administration officials are also privately uneasy, despite the president’s embrace of Israel following Hamas’s 7 October attack.
Here’s more from their piece:
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and the death toll among Palestinian civilians continues to rise, there is growing concern among top Biden administration officials about how the Israelis are carrying out the war and uncertainty about whether they can be reined in, according to two current and two former senior U.S. officials familiar with the internal discussions.
Some administration officials also are worried that the U.S. could become more and more isolated on the world stage over President Joe Biden’s close alignment with Israel — and that he will be blamed for some of the Israeli military’s actions, according to three current and former officials.
Biden and his top aides have in the past week adjusted the administration’s public message to emphasize concern for Palestinian civilians and U.S. efforts to get them humanitarian relief. The shift follows growing criticism at home and abroad of Biden’s decision to swiftly and staunchly back Israel’s military response to Hamas while initially speaking less forcefully about protecting Palestinians; meanwhile, images of civilian casualties in Gaza continue to ricochet around the world.
“If this really goes bad, we want to be able to point to our past statements,” a senior U.S. official said. The official said the administration is particularly worried about a narrative taking hold that Biden supports all Israeli military actions and that U.S.-provided weapons have been used to kill Palestinian civilians, many of them women and children. The Defense Department has said the U.S. is not putting any limits or restrictions on the weapons it’s providing Israel.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a planned, more strident message Thursday before he boarded his plane for a trip to Israel. “As we’ve said from the start, Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself,” he told reporters. “We’ve also said very clearly and repeatedly that how Israel does this matters.”
He said his discussions with the Israelis would focus on “concrete steps” they can take to better protect civilians. “We’ve seen in recent days Palestinian civilians continuing to bear the brunt of this action, and it’s important that the United States is committed to making sure everything possible is done to protect civilians.”
Top US diplomat arrives in Tel Aviv to urge humanitarian pauses, aid
Secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv earlier today with the goal of convincing Israel to ease the suffering of civilians caught up in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Before arriving, Blinken said he would seek “concrete measures” from Israel intended to reduce civilian casualties, including allowing more aid into Gaza and the implementation of humanitarian pauses in the fighting. Blinken will simultaneously be looking to avoid saying anything that casts doubt on Israel’s right to defend itself, which Joe Biden said the United States supports.
Here’s more on Blinken’s visit, from the Guardian’s Patrick Wintour:
Democrats grow nervous over Israel conduct in war with Hamas
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Ever since Hamas’s 7 October attack against Israel, Joe Biden has projected steadfast support of the longtime US ally. But with Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip under way, the president’s Democratic allies are growing uneasy with the increasing toll of civilians killed or wounded. Dick Durbin became the first senator to call for a ceasefire yesterday, and later joined 12 other Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter asking for “a short-term cessation of hostilities” to facilitate the release of hostages taken by Hamas last month, and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv today to urge Israel’s leadership to show more restraint in its campaign in Gaza.
The shift in sentiment comes as Israel awaits a new infusion of military aid Biden requested after visiting the country last month, but which is currently caught up in Capitol Hill’s partisan meat grinder. The Republican-led House of Representatives yesterday approved $14b in aid to Israel while simultaneously cutting the budget of the IRS tax authority – a proposition unpalatable to most Democrats. The Senate’s Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says his chamber won’t consider the bill, and is instead working on its own broader package that will include aid to Ukraine and pay for increased security on the southern border. All these will be stories to watch today.
Here’s what else is happening:
-
Biden is this afternoon traveling to Lewiston, Maine, site of a mass shooting last week that killed 18 people. He will meet with first responders, as well as relatives of the victims.
-
Eric Trump is expected to return to the witness stand today to testify in the civil fraud trial of the family business, the head of which is, of course, Donald Trump.
-
The US economy added 150,000 jobs last month, according to just-released data that was weaker than months prior but also reflected the impact of the United Auto Workers strike.
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