On the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said that U.S. policy in the Middle East “must change dramatically” to ensure long-term peace.

He was joined by fellow senior congressional Democrats in calling for shifts in policy by the U.S. and Israel.

Jeffries said in a statement that, since the Oct. 7 attacks, “considerable suffering has plagued the Middle East. The horrific death of Palestinian civilians, destruction of civil society and devastation in Gaza is reprehensible and can never be allowed to happen again.”

He argued that, in order to permanently end the violence between Israel and the Palestinians, “for the good of the Israeli and Palestinian people, American policy in the region must change dramatically.”

Jeffries said that the U.S. must “commit to the creation” of a Palestinian state as well as “support a new generation of Palestinian leaders” and end the “egregious settler violence” by Israelis in the West Bank.

At the same time, Jeffries mourned and expressed solidarity with those who lost loved ones on Oct. 7 and those still recovering, including the former hostages. He also emphasized the surging wave of antisemitism since the Hamas attacks.

“The Jewish people are in a constant struggle for survival, as has been the case for thousands of years,” he said, adding that the U.S. must remain committed to Israel’s right to exist as well as removing Hamas from power and ending terrorism in the region.

In his own statement, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared to call out Israel for continued fighting in the region while also recognizing the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks and their loved ones.

“Further chaos, destruction, and violence is not the answer and will not make Israel safer,” Smith said. “Israel must work with the United States and partners in the region to bring this conflict to an end and find a way ahead that creates a sustainable, safe, and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), generally a staunch supporter of Israel who has recently discussed his shifting stance on U.S. policy toward the Jewish state, said in a video statement that Israel’s military goals have been achieved and its approach should shift. 

Coons is in line to be the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next year.

“Israel has largely achieved its military goals, its objectives in Gaza and West Bank. Hamas has been beheaded and driven underground at great human cost to Palestinian civilians and a future two-state solution,” Coons said. “It’s now time to work tirelessly to find a path to lasting peace and adjust security for all.”

Coons also emphasized that the “wounds” to Israel from the attacks may never heal and recounted his meetings with the families of hostages.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) issued a strong rejection of antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker’s comments last week that Jewish supporters of Israel are inciting antisemitic violence against themselves, though he did not name Piker personally.

“The malicious claim that American Jews are inviting violence against themselves is dangerous and antisemitic,” Jeffries wrote on X on Monday. “There is zero justification for threats against the safety of our Jewish brothers and sisters at a moment of rising hate. We will fight the cancer of antisemitism with the fierce urgency of now.”

The comments mark the most prominent denunciation of Piker from a Democratic leader thus far, following criticisms of the streamer from other Democratic lawmakers and moves by some who have affiliated or campaigned with Piker to distance themselves from his comments.

Jeffries’ statement was notably more direct and tougher than the response of Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee who campaigned with Piker in the closing week of the primary.  El-Sayed earlier on Monday put out a statement distancing himself from the streamer without addressing the substance of Piker’s antisemitic remarks. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Thursday that should Democrats regain control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections, the party will adopt a “broadly inclusive” but fundamentally new approach to policy on Israel.

Jeffries’ comments follow a historic, highly divisive floor vote on Wednesday where nearly half of House Democrats broke with him to support an amendment cutting off $3.3 billion in U.S. foreign military aid to Israel. The amendment to the 2027 State Department appropriations bill, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), ultimately failed, but laid bare a continuing erosion of support for Israel within the Democratic caucus.

“The situation relative to the United States’ relationship with Israel, the Palestinian people and policy in the Middle East has to change because the current status quo is unsustainable,” Jeffries said at a press conference. “Our approach will be one that is broadly inclusive … [and will include] dialogue across the entire spectrum of the House Democratic Caucus and then be able to land on the highest common denominator, but being guided by the effort to actually create a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian people.” 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that should Democrats retake the House, the party will adopt a “broadly inclusive” but fundamentally new approach to policy on Israel.

"The situation relative to the United States' relationship with Israel, the Palestinian people and… pic.twitter.com/AELh50as7i

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Jeffries outlined that the future Democratic approach will be “anchored in several different principles,” including a renewed commitment to a two-state solution.

“[It will include] Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state and homeland for the Jewish people, and at the same time, pressing the urgent need to establish an independent Palestinian state that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity, respect, and self-determination — and that needs to be dealt with urgently.”

Jeffries also noted that the Democratic Party under his leadership will support all necessary measures to allow for the “prosperity” of the Palestinian people and the alleviation of “suffering,” including calling for a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. 

“It means not just the reconstruction of Gaza, but the modernization of Gaza and investing, along with our partners in the Gulf states and moderate Arab nations, in a path toward prosperity for the Palestinian people,” Jeffries said. “Hamas needs to be disarmed and completely removed from power, and we need to deal with the out-of-control settler violence that the Netanyahu administration has allowed to take place in the West Bank, and perpetrators of that violence should be sanctioned and criminally prosecuted.” 

Still, Jeffries noted that Israel remains a valuable ally.

“[The Democratic policy approach also includes] recognizing that Israel is an ally of the United States of America in the fight against terrorism, whether that’s Iranian-backed proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis,” Jeffries said. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Tuesday that he opposes an effort to strip all U.S. aid to Israel out of the 2027 State Department appropriations bill, but also argued for “urgent change” to the U.S.-Israel relationship, including changes to U.S. aid going forward.

Addressing the amendment led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Jeffries cited concerns raised by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Greg Meeks (D-NY), respectively the ranking members of the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as J Street, calling the amendment “overly broad” and suggesting that it would impact nonmilitary aid and U.S. Embassy operations.

Jeffries also argued that the amendment would “restrict our country’s ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.”

The New York Democrat accused Republicans of advancing the amendment “for nakedly partisan reasons,” but said that Democratic leadership would not whip members on the issue and that “there are good faith reasons” for lawmakers to vote either way.

He went on to argue that an “urgent change” is needed in the U.S. relationship with the “far-right Netanyahu government” and Middle East policy in general, calling for a “major reset” based on support for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state and strong support for a Palestinian state. He added that a “meaningful change in direction is needed” on U.S. aid to Israel at the conclusion of the current memorandum of understanding in 2028.

“Israel has an advanced economy and is capable of paying for its own sophisticated weapons, as the Prime Minister recently acknowledged,” Jeffries said, suggesting he supports an end to direct military aid at the end of the current MOU — a shorter timeline than has been advocated for by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Accordingly, any future security arrangement between our two countries should be structured consistently with defense agreements that exist with our other Western allies and strictly adhere to our human rights laws and values.”

He also said that the next MOU should continue to protect Israel’s qualitative military edge and advance “mutually beneficial joint technology, innovation, research and further development of defensive programs” — something that some in his party have sought to end.

Jeffries lambasted Netanyahu, accusing him of damaging Israel’s reputation and standing in the U.S. and around the world, harming normalization efforts and undermining peace efforts. He called for sanctions and criminal liability for Israelis involved in violent activity in the West Bank.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) declined to fully back Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on Tuesday, when asked at a press conference about her run in Florida’s 20th  Congressional District, which has historically been represented by a Black lawmaker.

“Everybody has a right to run where they see fit,” Jeffries said. “They’ve got to go make their case to the people that they hope to represent moving forward, and that’s what I’ve communicated directly to Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz.”

Some Black Democrats in the state have condemned Wasserman Schultz for choosing to run in the 20th District after her current district was redrawn. But given that she is a member of House leadership, a longtime Democratic congresswoman and an incumbent, it’s highly unusual for Jeffries not to offer his full support to Wasserman Schultz, as he traditionally has done for incumbents of all stripes and affiliations.

Jeffries said that Wasserman Schultz has a “strong track record of accomplishment in Congress,” but also said that Florida’s redistricting was a deliberate effort to undermine Black representation.

“I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented, Jim Crow-like assault on Black political representation that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court’s outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act,” Jeffries said. “And that’s an environment that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward.”

Jeffries’ decision not to offer his full support to Wasserman Schultz was also notable given that he said, moments later when asked about far-left challengers to other incumbents, “I stand behind every single House Democratic incumbent, whether they’re a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus … a New Dem or Blue Dog, and I’m going to continue to do that, and then we’ll see what happens at the end of the day, in terms of what the voters decide.”

Wasserman Schultz maintained in a statement that she’d be the best advocate for the district.

“I’m thankful for the strong and broad support I’ve received all over CD20. I’ll continue to talk with Broward voters and make my case that I’ll be the most effective representative for this whole community, and as always, I’m not taking any support for granted,” she said.

Four Black candidates running in the seat met behind closed doors on Monday to discuss unifying around one candidate to take down Wasserman Schultz, the Miami Herald reported on Tuesday.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called for a dramatic increase in funding of the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, telling a group of Jewish activists on Wednesday that it should receive $1 billion — up from the $300 million that Congress allocated in last month’s homeland security funding bill. 

“The not-for-profit security grant funding program is woefully underfunded. It’s woefully underfunded. $300 million is not acceptable,” Jeffries said at the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s leadership summit in Washington. 

He pointed out that the Pentagon now estimates the cost of the war with Iran so far is $29 billion, and Democrats believe it is possibly much more. 

“We think it’s probably double that. But even if you just take the $29 billion number, how is it possible that we can’t spend at least 500 million? I think the number should be even higher,” said Jeffries. “Why wouldn’t we spend a billion dollars to make sure that the communities that we care about across this country are safe?”

The $300 million approved by Congress last month is a small increase from the $274.5 million allocated to the program in 2024 and 2025. 

Jewish organizations have for years been lobbying for Congress to significantly increase the federal budget for the program, which provides security grants to vulnerable nonprofits, including synagogues and Jewish day schools, arguing that its current level does not come close to meeting the security needs of Jewish institutions. In 2024, more than half of all applications for NSGP funding were declined. 

Jewish communities and institutions are “now spending an outsized amount of budget funding to provide security in America,” Jeffries said. “That should not happen.”

A group of 41 senators last month called for $750 million in funding for the program next year. Last month, a coalition of interfaith groups called for Congress to increase NSGP funding to $1 billion. A bipartisan group of 150 members of the House asked the House Appropriations Committee in March to increase funding to $1 billion, although no members of House leadership in the Democratic or Republican Party signed onto it. 

The progressive Israel advocacy group J Street endorsed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Friday, marking the first time the top Democratic congressional leader accepted an endorsement from the group. 

With Jeffries endorsed by J Street, the group has now thrown its support behind the entire House Democratic leadership team: Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA). 

Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar have all also been endorsed by AIPAC, and they have each traveled to Israel on AIPAC-affiliated trips. 

“J Street is proud to endorse the House Democratic leadership team at such a critical moment in the US-Israel relationship,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement Friday. “After 23 months of war, it is important to endorse Democratic leaders who understand the time has come for a just and lasting peace that brings the remaining hostages home and immediately and permanently surges aid to the people of Gaza.” 

In recent months, J Street has taken an increasingly critical line toward Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. The organization has supported measures to withhold or condition American military aid to Israel, a position AIPAC vehemently opposes. Ben-Ami said last month that he has been convinced Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to a genocide.

“Hakeem Jeffries is a pro-Israel leader and a champion for strengthening and expanding America’s partnership with our democratic ally, none of which J Street supports,” AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told Jewish Insider on Friday.

A spokesperson for Jeffries did not respond to a request for comment.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), in some of his first comments on presumptive Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s controversial remarks, said on Sunday that the state legislator will “have to clarify” his position on the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which Mamdani has defended in recent weeks.

“‘Globalizing the intifada,’ by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase, and he’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week.” “With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise of antisemitism in the city of New York.”

Jeffries made clear that he was not yet endorsing Mamdani.

The highest-ranking House Democrat added that the mayor of New York City, regardless of party, needs to “commit to the safety and well-being of all of the people of the city of New York, and when there are moments of crisis and a rise in anti-Jewish hate, that’s a threshold that, of course, needs to be crossed.”

Mamdani said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he doesn’t personally use the phrase “globalize the intifada,” but declined to condemn it, arguing that it’s not the mayor’s place to police speech.

“The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” Mamdani said.

“I’ve heard from many Jewish New Yorkers who have shared their concerns with me, especially in light of the horrific attacks that we saw in Washington, D.C., and in Boulder, Colo., about this moment of antisemitism in our country and in our city,” Mamdani continued. “And I’ve heard those fears, and I’ve had those conversations, and ultimately, they are part and parcel of why, in my campaign, I’ve put forward a commitment to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%. I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech in the manner, especially, of [President] Donald Trump, who has put one New Yorker in jail who has just returned to his family, Mahmoud Khalil, for that very supposed crime of speech.”

Mamdani said that action is more important than discussing the issue.

“What I think I need to show is the ability to not only talk about something but to tackle it and to make clear that there’s no room for antisemitism in this city,” Mamdani said. “And we have to root out that bigotry, and ultimately, we do that through the actions. And that is the mayor I will be, one that protects Jewish New Yorkers and lives up to that commitment through the work that I do.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticized President Donald Trump for carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities without congressional authorization, a voice of opposition that was echoed by many leading Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Jeffries said in a statement less than two hours after Trump announced the strikes that Trump “misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”

He said that the Trump administration must explain to the country why it carried out the strikes and brief Congress.

“Donald Trump shoulders complete and total responsibility for any adverse consequences that flow from his unilateral military action,” Jeffries continued.

Schumer, in a similarly critical statement, said that “no president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy” and said he would be urging all lawmakers to support war powers legislation to block further military action against Iran, and called for an immediate vote.

He said Trump must explain his actions to the American people.

“Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity,” Schumer said. “The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.”

Senior congressional Democrats were largely left out of the loop about the strikes before they occurred, while Republican leaders have said they were briefed.

Administration officials traditionally brief “Gang of Eight” officials — the top Republican and Democrat in each chamber and the chairs and ranking members of the Intelligence Committees — before carrying out major sensitive operations.

Sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider that Jeffries received a notification after the operation was likely already underway, but had not been fully briefed, and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was not briefed prior to the strikes.

Sources familiar with the situation told JI that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) were briefed before the strikes.

Johnson pushed back on claims that the administration had illegally sidestepped Congress, saying, “Leaders in Congress were aware of the urgency of this situation and the Commander-in-Chief evaluated that the imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.”

“The President fully respects the Article I power of Congress, and tonight’s necessary, limited, and targeted strike follows the history and tradition of similar military actions under presidents of both parties,” Johnson continued.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) called Jeffries’ statement “an embarrassment,” saying Trump had prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Many Democrats in both chambers have gone further than Jeffries in their responses, explicitly describing the strikes as unconstitutional.

“The power to declare war resides solely with Congress. Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to attack Iran is unauthorized and unconstitutional,” Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the House minority whip, said. “In doing so, the President has exposed our military and diplomatic personnel in the region to the risk of further escalation. The American people, our men and women in uniform, and their families deserve answers.”

Some Democrats have also raised the prospect of impeaching Trump over the action. 

“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said. “He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

Several pro-Israel Democrats, like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) have fully backed the strike.

“We don’t yet know what this means for the regime’s nuclear work or ambitions, but it absolutely means that the regime has been further weakened — which is good for those who want peace,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) said.

“It’s time for the Iranian regime to agree to the removal of all enriched uranium, comprehensive, around-the-clock inspections, and the full dismantling of their terror armies from Hamas to Hezbollah and the Houthis. That will end this conflict, and put the entire region on the path to a real and sustainable peace.”

“Iran is a terrorist nation, and we must do everything we can to stop it from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said. “Debates will now ensue about presidential authority and the President working with Congress. The President should work with Congress, especially those of us who recognize how important it is to finally stop Iran.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) said that Iran should immediately end its nuclear program and stop funding terrorism, but also called for Congress to repeal the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force “so that the American public can get an open & thorough debate on war-making.”

Jewish Insider Congressional correspondent Emily Jacobs contributed to this report