Congressional Democrats are split in their responses to Israel’s overnight strikes on Iran, with some members conveying staunch support with others warning it’s a dangerous escalation that risks drawing the U.S. into a wider war.
A number of pro-Israel Democrats are backing the close U.S. ally, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has become one of the most outspoken members of his caucus in defense of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and subsequent war on Gaza.
“Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack,” Fetterman wrote on X. “Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”
Several Jewish Democratic lawmakers are also defending Israel’s actions.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said on X that she stands “firmly” behind Israel’s right to defend itself and said that if its strikes against Iran’s nuclear program are a set-back to the regime, then, “We’ll all be safer.”
“These strikes are an act of self-defense, and they follow decades of IAEA-confirmation violations by Iran of its nonproliferation agreements,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said in a statement.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said in a statement that the world benefitted from Israel’s destruction of nuclear reactors in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. “I am confident, with Iran on the brink of weaponization, the world will again be grateful that Israel acted to prevent catastrophe.”
Other Democrats are making clear they oppose Israel’s actions. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair on the Appropriations Committee, said in a statement that Israel’s attack on Iran is “a dangerous and unprecedented escalation, which endangers American servicemembers and civilians in the region, and puts countless other innocent lives at risk.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote on X that “Netanyahu wasn’t trying to help diplomacy; he was trying to destroy diplomacy. How do we know? They reportedly targeted and killed Iran’s chief negotiator with Trump.”
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who served in the Iraq war, said on X that great nations use a “mix of hard and soft power.” However, he said, “Although it’s too early to tell, I am concerned Israel may not have this balance correct, and the risks of drawing, not just Israel, but America, into a wider war in the Middle East are real.”
