From this morning’s Axios:
The growing and personal Democratic split over Israel is about to spill onto the House floor, with leaders bracing for a half-dozen fights between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members of Congress.
- Why it matters: "Things could not possibly be any worse than they are right now," one House Democrat lamented.
Democratic aides and lawmakers told Axios several of these bills, despite having Democratic co-sponsors, are poised to split the party, Axios' Justin Green, Andrew Solender and Eugene Scott report.
- The liberal group J Street is pressing House Democrats to vote against a GOP-led resolution condemning "the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations" on college campuses.
- The group also urges Democrats to vote against new sanctions on Iran and a resolution declaring it "not acceptable" for Iran to have nuclear weapons.
🖼️ The big picture: President Biden's initial response to the Israel-Hamas war sparked some of the harshest criticism he's received from progressives and people of color in his party.
- Members of the Squad, the high-profile group of House progressives, accused the White House of empowering Israel to retaliate in a way that has put the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza at risk.
- "I want [Biden] to know as a Palestinian American and also someone of Muslim faith, I'm not going to forget this," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, at a recent rally protesting the White House's response.
Nine House Democrats voted against a resolution last week that condemned Hamas and supported Israel, and another six voted "present."
- The vote sparked intra-party public feuds. Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) called Rep. Josh Gottheimer a "punk" and "cowardly" after the New Jersey Democrat wrote on X that the Democrats who voted against the resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas were "despicable," CNN reports.
What's next: Some of the administration's harshest critics on the Israel-Hamas war could face pro-Israel primary challengers this cycle.
