Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and 18 House Democrats on Tuesday voted against a resolution that honored the U.S.-Israeli relationship on Israel’s 75th Independence Day and expressed support for expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords — the 2020 agreement establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as was reported by TheHill.com.
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), the lead sponsor of the resolution, said in a statement following the vote that the “bipartisan passage of this resolution reaffirms our commitment to the people of Israel and promotes vital security assistance so they can defend themselves in the face of an increasingly aggressive Iran,” JewishInsider.com reported.
Reps. Kathy Manning (D-NC), Mike McCaul (R-TX) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) were original co-sponsors of the legislation.
The resolution — which had bipartisan sponsorship — cleared the chamber in a 401-19 vote, the Hill reported. Massie, who frequently votes against legislation pertaining to international matters, was the only Republican to oppose the measure.
The Hill reported that in a statement, Massie said, “Ultimately it didn’t make sense for me to vote for a bill that praises the foreign aid that I’ve voted against for the past ten years.”
He was joined by 18 Democrats, 17 of whom are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Hill reported. Progressives who voted against the measure included Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Andre Carson (Ind.), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Jared Huffman (Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.), as was reported by The Hill.
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who is not a member of the Progressive Caucus, also opposed the resolution.
A statement issued by a group including several high-ranking Democrats — and Manning and Schneider — raised concerns about the resolution text, specifically its omission of support for a two-state solution, according to the report on the JewishInsider.com web site.
The statement read: “Unlike previous resolutions honoring Israel’s birthday and achievements, this resolution, principally drafted by Republicans, broke the longstanding bipartisan tradition of acknowledging the importance of achieving a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. However, the strong bipartisan vote on the resolution was an important opportunity for the House to formally express our support for Israel as we have on similar occasions in the past.”
Signatories to the statement included Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), David Cicilline (D-RI), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Manning and Schneider, as was reported by JewishInsider.com.
Following the vote, the left-wing organization, J Street, urged congressional offices to sign onto a new letter by Raskin and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) criticizing Israeli judicial reform efforts and expressing support for the Israeli protest movement, according to an email communication from J Street to congressional staffers that was obtained by Jewish Insider.
Jamaal Bowman, who voted against the resolution, is a House member who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester in New York. He had unseated longtime incumbent Rep. Elliot Engel several years ago. Jewish Insider reported that Bowman voted in favor of the Iron Dome missile defense system funding for Israel but faced intense pushback from the Democratic Socialists of America for that vote and for traveling to Israel, and has since adopted a more critical stance toward the U.S.-Israel relationship and the Abraham Accords.
Also voting against the resolution were freshman legislators Lee and Ramirez, who are new additions to the growing number of Democrats that have been the most critical of Israeli policies, the JewishInsider.com reported.
Ocasio-Cortez voted “present” on the Iron Dome bill but later expressed regret for not voting against it, and has otherwise been critical of Israel during her tenure, according to the JewishInsider.com report, Johnson also voted present on the Iron Dome bill.
The JewishInsider.com also reported that DeSaulnier co-sponsored McCollum’s 2021 bill calling for restrictions on aid to Israel and urged the administration to attempt to block the evictions of Palestinians in the Masafer Yatta area in the Judea and Samaria region of Israel. But he also co-sponsored the Israel Relations Normalization Act, which called for the U.S. to support the expansion and deepening of the Abraham Accords. In a 2021 Fox News interview, the JewishInsider.com reported. DeSaulnier described Israel as a “thriving democracy” and said he is “very supportive of and respectful of the challenges that Israel is going through.”
The measure considered on Tuesday specifically calls for “encouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region, “ as was reported by The Hill.
The Hill also reported that the resolution also said the House encourages Washington and Tel Aviv “to continue to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation” on economic, security and civilian matters. It “expresses continued support for security assistance to Israel as outlined in the United States-Israel Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that Israel can defend itself by itself.”
Additionally, the resolution stated that the House “supports Israel’s robust involvement as an active member of the community of nations to benefit Israel and the United States as partners who share common values and a commitment to democracy.”
As to why some House Democrats voted against the legislation, political insiders have taken note of the fact that for a great many years now, Israel has not enjoyed bi-partisan support in Congress as it once had. The Hill noted that “progressives” in the House and namely in the Democratic party have regularly criticized the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians, particularly under the tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One source familiar with congressional trends told the Jewish Voice, “The sad fact is that most supporters of Israel in the US, whether they be Jewish or non-Jewish, have had great difficulty coming to terms with the tragic reality which is that the woke, progressive Democrats in Congress have a far-left agenda which includes coming down strong against Israel and criticizing her at every turn. Among mainstream Democrats, there are very few who will condemn them for excoriating Israel and abandoning her. What really boggles everyone’s mind is that Jews still turn out in droves to vote for Democratic candidates in local and national elections, even though they despise Israel and want to see her destroyed.”
The Abraham Accords, signed under the Trump administration, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, making Abu Dhabi the first Arab country to establish relations with Tel Aviv in more than two decades, as was reported by The Hill. Bahrain also signed onto the accords after pronouncements from Sudan and Morocco to strengthen relations with Israel.
The Hill.com also reported that in a statement, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, “The United States and Israel have stood together as partners since Israel’s founding 75 years ago to overcome shared challenges and global threats. Together, we’ve achieved major milestones, such as the signing of the historic Abraham Accords. I look forward to continuing the longstanding tradition of friendship and partnership between our two countries.”
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