Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman issued a stark warning Thursday, saying he would abandon the Democratic Party if it officially adopted a position opposing US aid to Israel — describing that scenario as a personal “red line.”
His remarks came in the wake of a House vote that struck down a measure to cut off American assistance to Israel. The proposal was rejected by nearly all Republicans and a slim majority of Democrats.
Speaking to NBC News, Fetterman made his position clear: “If they put that in our platform — no aid for Israel — and officially become the anti-Israel party, then yeah, that’s a red line for me. 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 Pennsylvania senator went further, stating he could not remain in a party that formally turned its back on Israel. “It would be a problem for me 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 said.
Fetterman stopped short of specifying what he would do next, declining to say whether he would join the Republican Party or serve as an independent if he did leave the Democrats.
A party switch would not be unprecedented. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema both previously left the Democratic Party to become independents, though they continued caucusing with Democrats before eventually retiring at the end of their Senate terms.
The controversy stems from a House vote held Wednesday, in which 103 Democrats sided with an amendment introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would have eliminated US aid to Israel. Republicans voted overwhelmingly against the measure.
The episode highlights a deepening divide within the Democratic Party on the issue of Israel. Younger members of the party have grown increasingly supportive of Palestinians over Israelis, and a recent Pew Research Center survey found that 71% of younger Democrats hold an unfavorable view of Israel.
