A House vote to condemn antisemitism in the United States and worldwide showed the growing division among the chamber's Democrats, with 92 voting "present" rather than taking a position to support or oppose an included measure that declared "anti-Zionism" is antisemitism.
The resolution, presented by House Republicans, passed by 311 to 14 and drew support from all Republicans but one. Ninety-five Democrats voted to support the measure, reports The New York Times.
While some Democrats are offering full support for Israel and its actions, others, mainly on the progressive side of the party, are critical of Israeli policies and the country's actions in the war with Hamas after its raids in early October.
That reflected deep and growing divisions among Democrats between those who have offered "Under this resolution, those who love Israel deeply but criticize some of its policy approaches could be considered anti-Zionist," Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the longest-serving Jewish representative, commented in a floor speech before he voted "present."
The provision, he said, "Could make every Democratic Jewish member of this body, because they all criticized the recent Israeli judicial reform package, de facto antisemites. Might that be the author's intention?"
Even while Democrats who questioned the resolution called displays of anti-Jewish action unacceptable, they said it goes too far to equate antisemitism to being against Zionism.
"Let me be unequivocally clear: most anti-Zionism, particularly in this moment, has a real antisemitism problem, but we cannot fairly say that one equals the other," Nadler said.
Members of the House have already passed several resolutions in the past few weeks declaring their support of Israel while denouncing antisemitism and the actions of Hamas.
Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., who wrote the latest resolution, denied that the measure was political and said on the House floor Tuesday that there are Democrats in the chamber who "repeat blatantly antisemitic rhetoric and spread lies about Israel and her right to exist."
"Let me be absolutely clear, such hate has no place in the halls of Congress, nor in our national discourse," Kustoff added.
Republicans and Democrats in recent weeks have accused some progressive Democrats of using antisemitic language, and last month censured Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for promoting the pro-Palestinian slogan "from the river to the sea."
Tlaib defended her comments and the rhetoric, calling it a call for Palestinian statehood. The phrase, though, is widely seen as a call for the destruction of Israel.
House lawmakers also have widely criticized her after she accused President Joe Biden of supporting "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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