Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday urging him to pressure the Israeli government to intervene to stop attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and to oppose settlement expansion.

The clear-cut criticism of Israel is notable coming from two lawmakers generally seen as strong supporters of the Jewish state. The two urged Trump to reimpose Biden-era sanctions — withdrawn by the Trump administration — on those involved in the settler attacks if the Israeli government does not act.

“The Netanyahu government’s lack of action to address extreme settler violence emboldens Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups, and builds resentment in the West Bank, while putting increased pressure on the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza that your Administration secured,” the two lawmakers said. “More must be done to stop settler violence and ensure that those who perpetrate acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank are not allowed to operate with impunity.”

The lawmakers called on Trump to “speak out against settlement expansion, demand accountability for settler violence, and continue to publicly oppose annexation.”

“This vigilante violence is not isolated. It is systemic and aims to impede a viable two-state solution,” the letter continues. “It is consistent with broader systemic efforts to approve illegal expansion of settlements, demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures, and annexation of the West Bank, including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s most recent actions regarding the controversial E1 settlement project.”

Booker and Goldman said that these actions by the Israeli government ultimately threaten Israel’s security, isolate it from the international community and undermine “peace efforts in the region. This includes the Abraham Accords, a critical achievement during your first Administration.”

They said that the administration should “press the Israeli government to take significant action to prevent settler violence, hold perpetrators accountable, seek justice for the victims of violent crimes already committed, and ensure the safety and security of civilians in the West Bank” and should reimpose sanctions on those involved in the attacks if the Israeli government fails to do so.

The lawmakers, who previously wrote a similar letter to the Biden administration, highlighted that they were the only members of Congress in Israel during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and said they “steadfastly support the special U.S.-Israel relationship and a secure and just future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

“We continue to believe that a two-state solution is the only viable option that affirms and protects Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state and ensures the Palestinian people’s right to human dignity, prosperity, self-determination, and a state of their own,” the letter continues. “Unchecked extremist settler violence and de facto or de jure settlement expansion threatens the very seeds of trust and cooperation needed to make progress toward this goal, which is fundamental to an enduring peace in the region.”

Jason Greenblatt, a key architect of the Abraham Accords, joined President Donald Trump in coming out against the Israeli government’s reported plans to annex portions of the West Bank, saying on Thursday evening that it was the wrong time to do so.

“I think Israel has so many challenges right now, militarily, [with the] hostages. There’s enormous things going on. The world is turned against Israel. I don’t agree with those that are pushing Bibi. I don’t know if it’s Bibi himself, but I hope that Bibi could figure out a way to get out of that political space that he’s in. And I think President Trump is making the right call,” Greenblatt said, using Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

Greenblatt made his remarks during an onstage interview with Jason Isaacson, the American Jewish Committee’s chief policy and political affairs officer, at the AJC’s annual Global Jewish Diplomacy Reception at Manhattan’s Harmonie Club on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which is being held this week. Shortly before the reception, Trump told reporters that he was firmly against Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

Greenblatt preceded his opposition to annexation by noting his right-wing bona fides. 

“My answer is coming from somebody who’s on the right politically, both in Israel and here. In fact, some of my Palestinian friends would say that sometimes I was Bibi’s mouthpiece,” he said. 

“But I agree with President Trump and what he said earlier today … I don’t think this is the time. I don’t think it’s the place. And I was part of the team that wrote the paperwork that would have allowed Israel to … apply Israeli sovereignty,” Greenblatt said, using the term the Israeli government prefers to refer to annexation. “I don’t think this is the time to do it.”

In addition to Greenblatt, speakers at the reception included Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama, and Serge Berdugo, president of the council of Jewish communities of Morocco, who received AJC’s Akiba Award during the event. At least ten hostage family members were also present, some of whom offered staunch criticism of the Israeli government’s handling of the war in Gaza.

Responding to the growing number of Western countries recognizing Palestinian statehood, Shapiro called these moves an ineffectual “mistake.”

“It’s a purely rhetorical step that changes nothing and probably does little, if anything, to advance the stated goal of some sort of resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And in many ways it may actually set it back in part because of the way it appears to — and certainly many Israelis understand it to, and I’m sorry to say, many Arabs understand it to — reward Hamas,” Shapiro said. 

He also described the development, in part, as a response by world leaders to Israel’s refusal to develop a “day after” plan in Gaza.

“What is that vision of the day after? Not only when does it start, but what does it look like afterwards? And is it something that Arab states and European states can buy into and get behind,” Shapiro said. “That could have been a way of satisfying some of the domestic pressures, but it wasn’t really available. And so I think some of the leaders turned to this ill-advised move instead.” 

Speaking on behalf of hostage families, Ruby Chen, father of slain American Israeli hostage Itay Chen, whose remains are still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, thanked the AJC for their advocacy on behalf of the hostage families and criticized the Israeli government for the ongoing hostage crisis. 

“I think I’m still in shock that … it wasn’t obvious that it should have been the number one objective of the government of Israel. But it’s unfortunate that there were other objectives, such as the disbanding of Hamas and making sure that Oct. 7 does not happen again, which are all legitimate,” said Chen. 

Chen continued, “We call on President Trump to bring all the parties together and put on the table a deal that is acceptable by everybody, and we pray to God that… those of you who are meeting with [Netanyahu]… are able to send a message saying we hope that he shares the same conviction that President Trump has shown, as well as President Biden and the previous administration to bring all these hostages home.”

As the hostage family members gathered for a photograph following Chen’s speech, the father of Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen, Yehuda Cohen, stepped up to the microphone and delivered a fiery impromptu speech criticizing Netanyahu. 

“After two years, Netanyahu is prolonging an unneeded war. If you really want to help us as a Jewish organization, please help us advocating the push on Netanyahu, making Netanyahu, forcing Netanyahu to end the war and get a hostage deal,” he said. 

Cohen, who came out in support of the countries recognizing Palestinian statehood — breaking ranks with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and nearly all of Israel’s political leaders, which described it as a reward for Hamas — defended his position as a form of leverage over the prime minister. 

“We are using the Europeans — their declaration of the Palestinian state, their sanctions of Netanyahu’s government … We have no choice. We are at war with Netanyahu. So if you really want to help us, that’s forcing Netanyahu to end the war and get a hostage deal, this is the real help,” said Cohen. 

Having recently returned from a trip to Israel, Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) is emphasizing that Israel’s critics in the United States and around the world are overlooking Hamas’ key role in perpetuating the conflict and contributing to the humanitarian issues in Gaza, strengthening the terrorist group’s position and insulating it from external pressures. 

At the same time, the New York Democrat also said that Israel must do more to pursue an end to the war, make its case to the world and provide aid in Gaza.

Latimer, speaking to Jewish Insider last week, said that the trip, organized by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation for Democratic freshmen and leading Democratic lawmakers, had reinforced his view that the situation on the ground is more complicated than the more simplistic narratives demonizing Israel that have been spread by some critics and media.

“When you see on the ground, you understand it is not a simple black-and-white situation,” Latimer, a first-term congressman from Westchester County, N.Y., who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “People come up to me and say, ‘Israel is practicing genocide. What they’re doing is evil and we need to stop it.’ And then you get on the ground and you realize how much more complicated it is than that.”

He said that American critics of Israel fail to acknowledge Hamas’ “role in all of this and its contributory actions.” He said he sees a “lack of appreciation here in the United States that Hamas is committed — has shown no signs to want to sit, talk peace, have a cessation of hostilities. … That makes it very, very hard to plot a strategy, if the other side is completely intransigent.”

Latimer said the situation is comparable to overlooking the fact that the U.S. entered World War II because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, or that the U.S. invaded Afghanistan because of the 9/11 attacks. He said that the “mindset” that motivated such attacks doesn’t disappear overnight, and can take protracted conflict to address.

At the same time, he said that “there’s a gap between what [the Israeli government] needs to be doing and what it is doing, and it’s a serious gap.” He said he doesn’t see proposals to relocate the population of Gaza out of the enclave, discussed during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as “workable” or “humane.”

He addressed friction within Israeli society over Israel’s war plans in Gaza, and said that Netanyahu’s decision-making may be shaped by his far-right coalition members, adding that “if there’s no movement from Hamas, what can you ask Israel to do unilaterally?”

“So Netanyahu’s strategies present as intransigent in the face of intransigence on the other side,” Latimer continued. “You need some joint breakthrough where both sides step back from the path that they’re on, and both sides have to be willing to do that, if you can expect the other side to also then do that.”

He noted the difficulty of forcing a dug-in enemy like Hamas to surrender, comparing it to the challenge of forcing a Japanese surrender during WWII.

Latimer unseated Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a vocal Israel critic, in the 2024 Democratic primary, boosted by significant support from his district’s Jewish community as well as national pro-Israel groups.

Latimer told JI he thinks Israel has not done enough to try to win over or influence global opinion in its favor. Latimer said he believes that the Israeli government views such efforts as a lost cause and not worth attempting.

“There’s a case to be made [for Israel]. But in lieu of that, the rhetoric is all what Israel is doing and not doing, and how evil they are, when, in fact, all of this came from an attack that was horrific on Oct. 7,” Latimer said.

He said that there have been “atrocities” on the Israeli side, pointing broadly to settler violence in the West Bank, but said that “the question is, overall, are you weighing all of these things together, or as the world opinion, and much of the United States opinion, particularly among younger people, has been framed completely around ‘Israel bad,’” ignoring the “evil that’s been done on behalf of the other side of this. That is a contributing reason why we’re in the situation we’re in.”

“The fact that people are starving is horrific. But as long as the world blames Israel for it solely, Hamas is winning. Why would they change any strategies?” Latimer said. “The leaders of Hamas are not sitting in the tunnels. … They’re sitting in the safety of the protection of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or over in Qatar. Therefore, they’re not under the pressure.”

Latimer said that the food supply in Gaza was a key issue he examined on the trip, calling starvation in Gaza a “legitimate” problem. 

He said that the current four Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites are “nowhere near enough,” given the “massive number of people that need to be fed and housed.”

But he added that Hamas being “unwilling to cooperate” in the safe delivery of aid is an impediment to efforts to improve the humanitarian situation and that the United Nations “in the eyes of the Israelis, has lost credibility.” 

He said that the best path forward would likely be for a coalition of Arab countries to take the lead of a humanitarian aid distribution entity: “We need to have a third party that has credibility.”

“Israel is not doing enough to solve the problem, and Hamas is doing things to prohibit the problem from being solved,” Latimer said, calling on Israel to work to increase the number of food distribution centers and strengthen supply lines and on Hamas to stop attempting to intercept food and sow chaos at distribution sites.

“The fact that people are starving is horrific. But as long as the world blames Israel for it solely, Hamas is winning. Why would they change any strategies?” he said. “The leaders of Hamas are not sitting in the tunnels. … They’re sitting in the safety of the protection of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or over in Qatar. Therefore, they’re not under the pressure.”

“What I saw in September 2005 gave me hope. What I see when I go back 20 years later is, you shake your head and you go, ‘Why did it turn out this way?’” Latimer said. “Did it turn out this way because Israel wanted it to turn out this way? Israel didn’t want Oct. 7. Israel didn’t want all of its young men in the reserves and active duty, constantly on a wartime footing.”

He declined to weigh in definitively — citing the limited information at his disposal and his limited power as a lone congressman — on whether the U.S. needs to increase pressure on its allies in Turkey or Qatar to expel or detain those Hamas leaders, but said that “clearly there has been insufficient pressure on Hamas” because its leaders have shown no urgency to return the hostages, negotiate in good faith or participate in un-corrupted food distribution.

Latimer said he first traveled to Israel two decades ago, just after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, and that there was hope at the time that the Israeli withdrawal would “allow the opportunity for Gaza to experience peace and some kind of growth.”

“What I saw in September 2005 gave me hope. What I see when I go back 20 years later is, you shake your head and you go, ‘Why did it turn out this way?’” Latimer said. “Did it turn out this way because Israel wanted it to turn out this way? Israel didn’t want Oct. 7. Israel didn’t want all of its young men in the reserves and active duty, constantly on a wartime footing.”

He said that if Gaza’s leaders had pursued growth and development over the past 20 years, “we could be in a very different place today,” but instead Hamas seized power and used Gaza as a platform to attack Israel.

Asked about recent decisions by European countries to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, which came around the time of Latimer’s trip, the congressman said that he supports a two-state solution, but one that “comes out of a negotiated process,” noting the many outstanding issues to be worked through.

“You cannot expect Israel to survive with a hostile entity interspersed with its borders, and yet be its own country. And there has to be a sense that this country can function and provide its services to its people and maintain civil control. None of those things are automatically in place yet, so I don’t know what we’re recognizing in substance,” Latimer said. 

“I think what we’re recognizing in symbolism is European countries that basically are saying, ‘We need to have a two state solution,’ and probably their population is reacting to what’s happening in the moment and putting pressure on their governments to do this,” he continued.

“The Palestinian Authority certainly has a steep mountain to climb, but right now, they’re the best hope that you have of a presence — and certainly it’s not Hamas, it’s certainly not coming out of any of the groups that Iran is backing or has backed,” Latimer said.

Based on the delegation’s meeting with Palestinian Authority leaders, Latimer said that he believes there is an “intent” and “willingness” in the PA to pursue needed reform and bolster credibility with the Palestinian population.

“How much success they’re going to have with the civilian population to accomplish those things — it’s going to be a tall task,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that some Arab governments such as those in Jordan and Egypt maintain cooperative relationships with Israel even as many of their citizens remain hostile.

“The Palestinian Authority certainly has a steep mountain to climb, but right now, they’re the best hope that you have of a presence — and certainly it’s not Hamas, it’s certainly not coming out of any of the groups that Iran is backing or has backed,” he continued.

In the long term, Latimer added, the Abraham Accords represent a path forward for the region, and said that moderate Sunni Arab states want to see a viable and demilitarized Palestinian Authority government that can credibly govern the Palestinian people.

In the run-up to the U.S. presidential election last year, one common refrain heard in Israeli leadership was to wait out the election in the hope of a friendlier Trump administration taking over. 

Increasingly, many pro-Israel voices in the United States are quietly saying the same thing about upcoming Israeli elections, which polls suggest could usher in a more moderate coalition, and diminish the influence of far-right leaders in the current Israeli government.

The possibility of new elections taking place soon, more than any particular shift in military strategy or policy decisions, is looking like the most likely factor that could advance progress in the region. 

While Israeli elections are not guaranteed to take place until October 2026, the legislative crisis over Haredi conscription in the IDF is looking like it could collapse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, and move up the election timetable to as early as next January. 

What has prevented elections until now is the fact that all members of the governing coalition are projected to lose seats if elections are held. That most Israelis want new elections is the very reason why they haven’t happened – yet.

Indeed, if elections were held today, Netanyahu would be in serious trouble. A recent poll commissioned by Israel’s Channel 12 found the anti-Netanyahu bloc making up a narrow majority of 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, with the current Likud-led coalition sitting at 49 seats, and Arab parties making up the remaining 10 seats. 

Likud won 32 seats in the 2022 election that brought Netanyahu back to power; his party polls at 24 seats right now. The far-right parties led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also lost significant support since 2022, dropping from their current 14 seats to 10.

Public polling in Israel also shows majority sentiment favoring a deal that would return all the hostages for an end to the war, along with broad concern that an extended war or occupation in Gaza would wreak havoc on Israel’s social cohesion and economic vitality.

There has been a political subtext to much of the Israeli government’s decision-making in the last several years. Even amid the remarkable success of Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Netanyahu didn’t get the type of political bump successful wartime leaders typically do. 

Throughout the war, he’s been in a defensive crouch, with his playbook focused on keeping his far-right partners, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, satisfied to avert a collapse in the government that would necessitate early elections. 

But with Israel’s international isolation becoming a growing political issue, and the concern over the fate of the remaining hostages driving domestic discourse, the politics have changed in Israel. That means Israel’s political calendar — and the prospect of elections around the corner — may end up playing a decisive role in the future of the war. 

Tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Eyal Zamir, the chief of staff of the IDF, are as high as the record-setting temperatures that have swept the region.

The IDF’s top officials and the Israeli government have clashed on a series of issues in recent days, including the appointments of more than two dozen military officials and Zamir’s opposition to Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City and expand IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, which was approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet last week.

The IDF chief of staff has warned that the new approach to Gaza risks the lives of the 20 remaining living hostages in the enclave, and would further deplete the military’s resources in Gaza. The army, under strain after nearly two years of war, has — even prior to Zamir’s appointment in March — been at odds with the government over the continued exemption of the majority of the country’s Haredi population from the mandatory conscription required of most Israelis.

Israel Democracy Institute President Yohanan Plesner told Jewish Insider this morning that “historically, the relationship between the political level — prime minister, defense minister — and the top brass of the defense establishment, and mainly the IDF chief of staff, has been based on the premise that when Israel engages or embarks on significant security endeavors, operations and so on, it’s based on mutual consent,” with both parties having “de facto … veto power.”

But now, Plesner said, Netanyahu “is violating this decision-making norm that characterized the way decisions on core security [and] national security issues were made in the past.”

Plesner pointed to IDI polling conducted earlier this summer that showed Zamir being the senior official in whom Israelis had the most trust, at 68.5%. The same poll found Netanyahu with a trust rating of 40%.

The potential removal of a senior official months into his tenure “was not in the cards in the past. A chief of staff would voice their professional opinion and they wouldn’t risk being fired.”

The clash between Netanyahu and Zamir has also drawn in former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is widely seen as one of the only people who could topple Netanyahu in the next election. Bennett attributed the infighting to Zamir’s opposition to the continuation of Haredi draft exemptions — an issue that has sowed division even within Netanyahu’s coalition and still threatens to topple the government.

“Instead of standing behind the army,” Bennett said, “the government has launched an attack *on* the army.”

Netanyahu has previously clashed with — and dismissed — senior military officials, most notably former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu first tried to fire in early 2024 but was met with mass protests, before ousting him in November 2024. Last summer, Israeli media reported tensions between the prime minister and Zamir’s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, over Netanyahu’s suggestion that hostage talks had not moved forward because Hamas did not feel enough pressure from the country’s military. Netanyahu also pursued the dismissal of former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar whom he clashed with on a number of issues — including the hostage negotiations and war strategy — citing “continuing lack of trust.” 

Plesner pointed out that relations between Netanyahu and both Gallant and Halevi “very much soured around the fact that they were committed to implementing the Supreme Court ruling” that removed the Haredi draft exemption, and that Zamir, as chief of staff, similarly backs the conscription of the Haredi community as war fatigue plagues the reservists who have served hundreds of days in uniform since the start of the war.

Nearly all of the IDF’s top leaders from Oct. 7, 2023, have departed their roles, whether by choice or force, in the almost two years since the attacks. Netanyahu — who has long tried to absolve himself of responsibility for the attacks, instead blaming the military and the Shin Bet — remains the only senior government official from that time still in power. Analyst Nadav Pollak suggested that the prime minister has, since Oct. 7, been “trying to divert the blame from him to the military leadership (he didn’t know Hamas plans etc.) and as long as the focus is on the IDF leadership it’s not on Bibi.”

Now, with the Knesset out for the rest of the summer, ceasefire talks stalled and an immediate collapse of his government off the table, Netanyahu is able to buy some time — perhaps up to several weeks — as Israel’s top political and military brass game out and implement the government’s Gaza strategy. Meanwhile, observers will watch to see how Zamir will carry out Netanyahu’s orders.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is considering resigning from the Israeli government in the coming months, Israel Hayom reported on Monday. 

Dermer, a close advisor of Prime Mister Benjamin Netanyahu, has in recent years worked primarily on the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat. He began contemplating his exit after Israel degraded Iran’s nuclear capabilities in June, senior government sources told the outlet. 

It wasn’t clear when he would resign, though the sources indicated it would likely be before Israel’s next elections. Elections are currently scheduled for October 2026, but could be held sooner, depending on Netanyahu’s ability to keep his 60-member coalition together.  

Since February, Dermer has also led Israel’s ceasefire and hostage-release negotiation efforts, a role that has engendered criticism from elements of the Israeli public, including hostage family members who called for his resignation from the negotiating team in May over the lack of progress toward a deal.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), one of the most strident critics of the Israeli government in the Senate, is set to deliver the keynote speech next month at an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser that’s a frequent stop for high-profile Democrats and presidential hopefuls.

The Polk County Steak Fry in Des Moines is a highly watched annual event for Democratic politicos, and Van Hollen’s appearance is a sign of the senator’s ambitions for higher office. 

Van Hollen has become a leading voice of the party’s left wing on foreign affairs, and was an early critic of Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza. He has also asserted himself as a prominent figure in the party on other issues, including pushing for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration deported for several months to a high-security prison in El Salvador.

A Van Hollen campaign spokesperson told JI the senator is “looking forward to the opportunity to speak to Iowans about the future of the Democratic party as we confront a lawless president and chart a new course.” 

Polk County Democrats Chair Bill Brauch told the Baltimore Banner that the party seeks out Democrats with national appeal and that they saw him as a “big get.”

“Throughout his career, he has been a tireless advocate for equal rights, justice, and opportunity, fighting to create good jobs, strengthen small businesses, and expand access to education and job training for all,” the group said in its announcement. “In Congress, Senator Van Hollen has defended Social Security and Medicare, worked across party lines to protect the Chesapeake Bay, expand medical research, fight childhood cancer, and pass the ABLE Act to help families with children with disabilities.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker — also seen as a potential presidential contender in 2028 — headlined the event last year, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was the headliner in 2023. Barack Obama delivered the keynote in 2007.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have made stop-overs in the Hawkeye State in recent months — which may be restored to its first-in-the-nation status in the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination process.

Pro-Israel Democrats on Thursday criticized the Israeli government’s plans to expand its operations and take control of additional parts of Gaza.

The Israeli Security Cabinet early Friday approved plans to take over Gaza City, though it stopped short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement earlier Thursday to Fox News that Israel plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.

The plan seems to be aggravating the growing friction between the Israeli government and some of the Jewish state’s most vocal liberal backers in the United States over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said that Israel is ultimately responsible for making its own decisions, but said he’d advise the Israeli government to seek an end to the war once it frees the hostages.

“First: the highest priority is to secure the release of the hostages who are at grave risk of dying from deliberate starvation and torture,” Torres told Jewish Insider. “Second: the war in Gaza is in danger of becoming a quagmire that bogs Israel down for years — indeed decades — to come.”

He again said the war risks becoming a long-term entanglement like the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were for the United States, costing both money and lives.

“The war fatigue and post-traumatic stress in Israeli civil society and in the Israeli military — as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — have become unbearable,” Torres continued. “Israel has degraded Hamas. And so once Israel has secured the release of the hostages, it should declare victory, end the war, and focus on expanding the Abraham Accords to include relations with the likes of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.”

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) pushed back on suggestions by Netanyahu in his announcement of the new Gaza plan that governance would ultimately be turned over to Arab forces.

“Netanyahu said: ‘We don’t want to keep Gaza. We want a security perimeter. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern Gaza properly,’” Auchincloss said to JI. “My question is: What Arab force has agreed to this? What is the plan for governance? There is no evidence that either exists.” 

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) said that Israel should prioritize increasing humanitarian aid and protecting civilians.

“Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself against Hamas and other terrorist threats. At the same time, I believe it is in the interest of Israel, the United States, and the entire region to prioritize efforts that protect innocent lives and stabilize the situation,” Frankel said. “That means working urgently to get food, water and medicine to civilians in Gaza while continuing to support Israel’s long-term security. I remain committed to a path that ensures the safety of the Israeli people and upholds our shared humanitarian values.”

In a lengthy statement released hours before Netanyahu’s formal announcement, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) blasted both Netanyahu and the situation in Gaza, saying that Netanyahu’s decisions are being motivated by the prime minister’s self-interest, rather than Israel’s best interests. He unequivocally rejected discussion of full occupation of Gaza.

“The current crisis in Gaza shocks the conscience. The international community — especially Israel and the United States — must immediately put an end to this humanitarian catastrophe,” Goldman said. “It is clear that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s personal and political interests are guiding Israel’s actions, rather than what is best for the Israeli people or for the nation of Israel. He is beholden to the extreme right, whose support he needs to remain in power, which, in turn, is helpful to defend against his corruption case.”

Goldman continued, “To the extent a full occupation is indeed his plan, it is not only morally reprehensible, but it is also opposed by Israeli military and national security leaders as well as the Israeli people.”

He said that the international community must come together to free the hostages, end the war and surge aid into Gaza, which requires “unified international pressure on Hamas,” and said that international recognition of a Palestinian state before the hostages are released “only serves to reward” Hamas and disincentivize it from agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage deal.

“Fundamentally, Prime Minister Netanyahu must stop putting his own personal interests ahead of the state of Israel’s,” Goldman concluded. “The sacredness of human life and Israel’s sacrosanct place as a democracy and safe haven for the Jewish people are simply too important to be sacrificed on the altar of political self-interest.” 

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), in a new statement on Thursday, did not directly address the new Israeli plans, but said that all parties must work to “surge humanitarian aid to the people Gaza — not Hamas or criminal gangs” to the point of eliminating scarcity.

“I welcome the steps Israel has taken, including instituting humanitarian pauses and conducting airdrops of aid. However, these steps alone are not sufficient — it is clear that the current aid delivery system needs to be scaled up to adequately meet the needs in Gaza,” Sherman said. “That includes significantly increasing the number of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites to prevent crowding, establishing safer distribution processes, and distributing higher quantities of aid each and every day.”

He also urged the United Nations and NGOs to “stop playing politics,” work with the GHF and distribute the food stockpiles sitting inside Gaza. And he said that those who criticize Israel without pressuring Hamas or acknowledging its starvation of hostages only encourage the terrorist group to keep fighting.

“The fastest way to alleviate the suffering of Gazans and the hostages is for Hamas to release the hostages and lay down its arms and depart for Iran or another country willing to accept them. This would pave the way for legitimate Arab-led governance and allowing Gaza to be rebuilt,” Sherman continued.

Pro-Israel Republicans, meanwhile, are supporting Netanyahu’s latest moves.

“The fastest way for this conflict to end is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages. In the absence of that — Hamas has continually refused the terms of a ceasefire — Israel must take the necessary steps to eliminate Hamas,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who chairs a key House subcommittee focused on the Middle East, told JI. “Simply put, there cannot be peace so long as Hamas and the Palestinian Authority remain in power. I support Israel’s decision to use all military and diplomatic means to achieve their objectives, while continuing to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to the innocent Palestinians long suffering under Hamas’ brutal oppression.” 

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) said in an X post he supports Netanyahu’s “proposal to provide governance to Gaza. This will protect Israeli civilians from Hamas rocket attacks whose covenant is to murder all Jews. It will also allow for safe delivery of food for the people of Gaza. Mutually beneficial to everyone.”

Asked about the Israeli government’s decision, AIPAC placed the blame on Hamas.

“This war is only being extended because Hamas refuses to free all 50 hostages and surrender power in Gaza,” the group said in a statement. “America’s leaders must continue to stand with our ally Israel and take concrete steps that increase the pressure on Hamas to let all the hostages go and give up control of Gaza.”

Vocal critics of the Israel government on Capitol Hill blasted the new plan.

“Netanyahu’s plan to reoccupy Gaza is key to the far-right’s goal of taking over Gaza & the West Bank and forcing Palestinians out,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on X. “Meanwhile, Trump is making us a subcontractor in this operation. US taxpayers should not be funding what amounts to ethnic cleansing by another name.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) said on X that the move toward full occupation of the Strip is “unacceptable and will not lead to safety and security for Israelis or Palestinians.” He renewed his call for the U.S. to stop providing weapons to Israel.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said that she voted, for the first time, for resolutions blocking U.S. arms sales to Israel this week to send a message to the Israeli government of disapproval for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, even as she acknowledged that the vote might not make much of an impact.

“I just think it’s really important for people to speak out when they can, even if it’s on a vote that isn’t probably going to make all the difference right now. And it doesn’t mean I’m going to be hard-stop against aid for Israel in the future,” Klobuchar told Punchbowl News.

“At some point, you’ve got to seek change. And I think this is one way you can do it,” she continued. “I have supported Israel’s right to defend itself, I always will. But they aren’t changing.”

She said that she’d tried to communicate her disapproval of the humanitarian situation in Gaza to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Washington, D.C. but said it “didn’t work very well when I said it.”

Klobuchar said in a Senate floor speech several days before the votes that she attended the meeting with Netanyahu “for one reason: in my capacity as No. 3 in the Democratic leadership, and that was to raise the issue of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

 “I say to my colleagues you can support the people of Israel. You can be horrified and condemn, as all of us did, the terrorist attack. But we cannot continue to allow people to starve,” Klobuchar said. “Lives are being lost on a daily basis, kids, innocents, and the government of Israel must change course.”

She said that U.S. policy must focus on returning to a ceasefire, increasing humanitarian aid, freeing the hostages and security a two-state solution.

The Minnesota Democrat, a moderate, has historically been a quiet but reliable supporter of Israel. She’s also the No. 3 Senate Democrat, seen as a potential successor to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Of the 11 members of Democratic leadership, seven voted for the resolutions on Wednesday.

Klobuchar is running for the No. 2 Senate Democratic leadership slot, competing against Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a consistent supporter of prior efforts to halt weapons sales, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who, like Klobuchar, flipped her vote to support the Sanders resolutions after previously opposing them.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on Tuesday warned that the war in Gaza appears to be turning into a “quagmire” akin to the Iraq war, without clear objectives or any realistic end point.

The pro-Israel Democrat has grown more vocal lately about his criticisms of the Israeli government and how it has been handling the war in Gaza, as concern about the humanitarian situation in the enclave has mounted on both sides of the aisle. He has also continued to offer support for Israel and emphasize that Hamas is primarily responsible for the war in Gaza.

“I want to see Israel secure the release of hostages and end the war, because as long as the war persists, there’s a real potential — our experience with Afghanistan and Iraq tells us that wars in the Middle East can morph into quagmires that have no clear end in sight that have no clearly defined strategic objectives,” Torres said in an interview with The Bulwark.

“I feel this is a quagmire that could persist indefinitely with no clear end in sight,” he continued, a situation he said would limit the Israeli economy and expansion of the Abraham Accords. He said the Israeli government has failed to outline clear objectives for the war. “It feels like a quagmire reminiscent of the war in Iraq.”

He said that Israel has been “extraordinarily effective” in its operations against Hezbollah and Iran, “but [I] have concerns about the war in Gaza.” 

Torres said that “war becomes a process of mutual dehumanization which we’re seeing in real time. There should be space in the American heart for the humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians.”

He said that Hamas is the “central cause” and “primarily responsible for the suffering that has been unleashed since Oct. 7.” 

But he also said that the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza is simply and morally unacceptable and all parties including Israel and the United States must do their part to ease the hardship and hunger that has taken hold in the Gaza strip. To me, it is wrong to deny or downplay the crisis.”

He rejected arguments that he said he’d seen from Israeli officials that the crisis in Gaza is purely Hamas propaganda, and said that he can’t deny to constituents concerned about the issue that it is happening.

The correct response, he continued, is “not to downplay it, but it’s to tell our constituents that we are doing everything that we can to ease suffering among Palestinian civilians and children. That the war is not against the Palestinian people. It’s against Hamas.”