Fetterman warns he would leave Democratic Party if it turns its back on Israel
by Alexander Bolton - 07/15/26 6:26 PM ET
Maverick Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has said he has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party, but he warned on Wednesday that if Democrats completely turn their backs on U.S. support for Israel, that would cross a red line that could push him out of the party.
“If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,” he said during an interview at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington.
Fetterman said he “can’t understand why the Democratic Party” — which shares an array of values with Israel as an important democracy in the Middle East — would turn against a long-standing ally.
The Pennsylvania Democrat says he has a major “concern” over the trajectory of many Democrats who have become increasingly critical of U.S. aid for Israel amid growing pressure from the party’s progressive base.
“My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel,” he said.
Fetterman cited Democratic support for an amendment sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to cut off $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel and the success of progressive candidates who are harshly critical of Israel in Democratic primaries.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.), the No. 1 and No. 2 ranking House Democrats, split over Massie’s amendment, with Jeffries opposing it and Clark supporting it.
Fetterman said Clark’s support for the amendment reflects a trend in the broader party.
“You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries,” he said. “It’s becoming more anti-, anti-Israel and hostile to people” who are pro-Israel.
He criticized fellow Democrats who “are trying to ingratiate ourselves with that segment of the base of our voters are intensely, intensely anti-Israel.”
Fetterman acknowledged he has been approached by Republicans about leaving the Democratic Party but declined to divulge “private conversations.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5970730-john-fetterman-democratic-party-israel/
