The People Want Peace & Human Rights
Democrats in Congress Are Responding (at last)
Public Support for Israel's Military Action in Gaza
From Low to Lower
| Nov 2023 | July 20D25 | |
| Dem | 36% | 8% |
| Ind | 47% | 25% |
| Rep | 71% | 71% |
Democrats in Congress shift towards alignment with voters
Senate Votes
| Feb 2024 | Arms to Israel | 3 vote no |
| Nov 2024 | Block Arms to Israel | 19 vote yes |
| July 2024 | Block Arms to Israel | 27 vote yes |
| April 2026 | Block Arms to Israel | 40 vote yes |
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block arms to Israel
A Story of Shift: Rep. Jamie Raskin, (D, Md)
Support for Ceasefire in Gaza
After the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the massive Israeli retaliation against the civilian population of Gaza that followed, Rep. Cori Bush introduced legislation in Congress calling for a ceasefire. She was joined by 17 co-sponsors.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin was not among the co-sponsors. For years Raskin had accepted campaign contributions from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby that endorsed Netanyahu's actions. Raskin and Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Dan Goldman circulated a letter endorsing Biden's support for Israeli military action against Hamas. Yet by November 17, 2023, Raskin broke with Biden and AIPAC and called for a ceasefire. At that point there were two other Jewish members of Congress calling for a ceasefire, Sara Jacobs of California and Vermont’s Becca Balint.
Protest within the Biden Administration and protests across the nation may have influenced Raskin's call for a ceasefire. Josh Paul resigned from the State Department bureau supervising arms transfers, writing,
"We cannot be both against occupation, and for it. We cannot be both for freedom, and against it. And we cannot be for a better world, while contributing to one that is materially worse."
On October 30, 2023, Jewish Voice for Peace organized a protest at Grand Central Station in New York
Opposed military aid to Israel
In April, 2024, Raskin issued a statement about the Israeli Defense Forces killing of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen:
I want to endorse the urgent and plain sentiments of Chef José Andrés who said in response to this nightmare: ‘The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.’
Also in April, 2024 Raskin voted against the $26 billion military aid package to Israel, breaking with one of his major campaign contributors, the pro-Israel lobby, J-Street.
Supports Block the Bombs
In an action that some Jewish groups in his district find "profoundly disappointing", Raskin has co-sponsored Block the Bombs Act, which would make military aid to Israel contingent on Israel abiding by International Law.
Opposes Demolition on West Bank
Jamie Raskin and Jerrold Nadler (NY), Jim Himes (CT), Sara Jacobs (CA) and Dan Goldman (NY) led a total of more than 100 of their colleagues in writing a letter to Netanyahu":
"to express our urgent opposition to your government’s orders to demolish buildings, including private homes and the community center, in the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir. It is imperative that you immediately withdraw these demolition orders, which threaten not only the vulnerable residents of the village but further erosion of support for Israel across the US political spectrum at a time of profound concern about settler extremism in your country."
The Panetta Connection
Jimmy Panetta says Jamie Raskin is a friend. In contrast to the rest of his voting record, Panetta was one of the signers of Raskin's letter to Netanyahu.
Rep. Jamie Raskin
Rep. Sara Jacobs
cosponsor of Gaza ceasefire legislation in Nov 2023