Nearly Half of House Democrats Back Israel Aid Cut as J Street Straddles 60% of Caucus
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 29
Nearly Half of House Democrats Back Israel Aid Cut as J Street Straddles 60% of Caucus
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 29
Summary
Nearly half of House Democrats voted for an amendment to cut off US aid to Israel, a post-Oct. 7 marker of how far the party has shifted on the issue.
J Street opposed the measure from Republican Thomas Massie as overly broad, yet praised it for signaling demand for a fundamentally different US-Israel approach.
That balancing act comes as J Street expands—its staff is up 50% in five years, June fundraising hit a record $1.3 million, and it expects to spend at least $13 million this cycle.
The group still faces pressure from both sides: several endorsees recently lost to more pro-Palestinian challengers, younger activists have drifted left, and neither remaining Michigan Senate candidate sought its endorsement.
Even with endorsements from at least 60% of congressional Democrats, J Street's two-state, middle-lane politics look harder to sustain as 8 in 10 Democrats now view Israel unfavorably.