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“If our party ever becomes, and just make it official, as the anti-Israel party ... that’s when I would leave,” the Pennsylvania senator said
NEED TO KNOW
- Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said he would leave the Democratic Party if it officially opposes Israel
- Fetterman emphasized Israel as a key U.S. ally and the only democracy in the Middle East
- A recent poll shows growing frustration among Pennsylvania Democrats regarding Fetterman
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has threatened to abandon the Democratic Party if it becomes the “anti-Israel party.”
“If our party ever becomes, and just make it official, as the anti-Israel party ... that’s when I would leave because that’s a bit of moral clarity for me,” the 56-year-old said at the The Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday, July 15, according to Axios.
He described support for Israel as a long-standing Democratic value and said he believes the country remains a key U.S. ally and the region’s only democracy.
“Democrats, we’ve always should support Israel. That’s our special ally, you know? In the only democracy in the entire region, that’s Israel. So I’m always proud to stand with Israel,” Fetterman, 56, told NBC following the summit.
He said he would change his political affiliation “if the Democratic Party officially says, ‘Israel is the problem, Israel doesn’t deserve to exist, and I’m never going to support aid, and I’m not going to call out Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran as terrorists, and they are the problem in the region.’ ”
On July 15, more than 100 House Democrats voted to block billions of dollars of military aid to Israel as the nation wages war in the Middle East, marking a historic shift in the party’s position on the longtime ally.
Although Fetterman said the House’s vote wouldn’t be enough for him to officially leave the Democratic Party, describing it as more symbolic, he said he’d reconsider his position if opposing Israel became part of the party’s official platform, according to CNN.
Fetterman, who is up for reelection in 2028, is facing growing frustration from some members of his own party. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that most registered Pennsylvania Democrats surveyed believe he should leave the Democratic Party.
When asked by CNN about the poll, Fetterman said he was surprised by the results.
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“It’s strange that a guy that votes a 90% Democratic line and 80% approval of Republicans. How is that? Do you explain that? I don’t understand that too,” Fetterman told the outlet. “But if I become more unpopular with Democrats, then I think it’s really a strong correlation with being very proud Israel supporter.”
Fetterman did not say whether he plans to seek reelection in 2028 or whether he would run as a Democrat.
The Senate is narrowly divided with 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democratic side, making the partisan split 53-47.
Fetterman has voted in favor with Republicans on a handful of high-stakes occasions, making him as a less-reliable Democratic vote on hot-button issues than Pennsylvanians perhaps expected when he campaigned for the seat against MAGA ally Dr. Oz in 2022.
Read the original article on People
