SerpApi.Org
John Fetterman, the Democratic Senator of Pennsylvania, has said that he would exit the party if it ever takes the “anti-Israel party.” Describing the Middle Eastern country as a “special ally” of the U.S., Sen. Fetterman said that he is “always proud to stand with Israel.”
“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,” Fetterman said at The Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday, July 15, reports Axios.
His remarks came as over 100 House Democrats voted against the proposal to give Israel billions of dollars in military aid, while the country’s leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to wage war in the already vulnerable region. The stance marked an important shift in the party position on Israel, which is one of America’s key allies.
Fetterman, 56, clarified that the House votes are not enough to make him officially walk out of the party, and described it as symbolic. He said that he would reconsider being a member of the Democratic Party if it officially makes the anti-Israel stance its official platform,CNN reported.
After Wednesday’s summit, Sen. Fetterman spoke with NBCNews and rallied behind Israel, saying, “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.”
The politician said that he would change his party 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.”
Fetterman, who is up for re-election in 2028, has broken with his party and sided with the Republicans on several key issues, arguably making him a less dependable Democrat on major issues than most Pennsylvanians may have anticipated when he defeated Dr. Oz, a Trump-backed candidate, in the 2022 Senate race.
The Senator, who has not yet made it clear if he would seek re-election in 2028, is increasingly drawing criticism within the Democratic Party. A recent Quinnipac University pollfound that a majority of registered Pennsylvania Democrats surveyed feel that Fetterman should leave the Democratic Party.
CNN asked Fetterman about the poll results. “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 news outlet. “But if I become more unpopular with Democrats, then I think it’s really a strong correlation with being very proud Israel supporter.”
