103 House Democrats Vote to End Military Aid to Israel; Majority Opposes Cut

More than 100 House Democrats voted this week to cut military aid to Israel. The amendment, offered by a Kentucky congressman, was defeated after nearly all Republicans and 98 Democrats opposed it. The vote drew attention because 103 Democrats supported ending the aid and 10 others voted present.

The outcome marked a near-even split within the Democratic caucus on a long-standing foreign policy question.

Jeffries opposed the amendment.

His deputy Katherine Clark voted for it, as did former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "For the good of the Israeli people and the Palestinian people, it is clear US policy must change," Pelosi said. Clark said Washington should not provide a "blank check" to any country that fails to comply with U.S. law, interests and values.

The amendment had little chance of becoming law.

It nevertheless served as a political marker showing how support for Israel has eroded inside the Democratic Party after years of war in Gaza, mounting Palestinian casualties and frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Voter opinion among left-leaning Americans has shifted sharply.

Progressive candidates in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Colorado have won primaries while openly criticizing U.S. aid to Israel and the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In Michigan, Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has made opposition to Israel's war and U.S. military aid a central part of his campaign against Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

The National Republican Congressional Committee said Democrats had become consumed by a "radical, antisemitic faction" and promised voters would remember the vote. The issue is also straining Democratic unity in the Senate. " "You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries," he added.