WASHINGTON – House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called out more than a dozen House Democrats for voting against a resolution that condemns Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel. This follows Whip Emmer’s criticism of the nearly 50 House Democrats who refused to condemn the pro-Hamas activist chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic on Tuesday.
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13 Dems vote against resolution condemning Iran after Israel strike
Fox News
Elizabeth Elkind
April 18, 2024
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/13-dems-vote-against-resolution-condemning-iran-after-israel-strike
More than a dozen House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning Iran's airstrikes on Israel Thursday.
The resolution, which also affirms U.S. support for Israel responding to the attack however it deems necessary, overwhelmingly passed 404 to 14. Just one House Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the bill. Fox News Digital reached out to Massie for comment.
He was joined by 13 Democrats, including "Squad" member Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.; and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also among those opposing the bill.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, tore into the Democrats who voted against condemning Iran in a statement to Fox News Digital after the vote.
"House Democrats' hatred for Israel runs so deep they would rather defend terrorists than support our strongest ally in the Middle East. Vote after vote, the Democrat Party continues to cement their position as the pro-terrorist party," Emmer said.
Iran fired a barrage of rockets at Israel over the weekend, 99% of which were intercepted, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria. It's a marked escalation of tensions in the region as the first attack on Israel directly from Iranian soil.
The 13 progressives who voted against the measure are among a growing faction of the Democratic Party who are critical of the U.S.'s strong ties to Israel, particularly in the wake of Israel's invasion of Gaza.
Israel's war on Hamas began after militants from the pro-Palestinian terror group invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and killed more than 1,000 people. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, has said over 30,000 Palestinians have died in the months since.
House Republicans have seized on the Democratic divides over Israel, distancing themselves from that fight by standing firm with the longstanding relationship. In response to the Iran attack, House GOP leadership lined up 17 bills for a vote this week affirming U.S. support for Israel and against Iran.
Ocasio-Cortez criticized that effort earlier this week in a statement, "Following last weekend’s unprecedented response by Iran to Israel’s attack on its consulate, the Republican Majority is explicitly leveraging a series of bills to further escalate tensions in the Middle East."
"This is a blatant attempt to distract from their own incompetence. The country and the world need real leadership from the House of Representatives in this moment, not resolutions designed purposefully to increase the likelihood of a deadly regional war or worse. I will oppose any cynical effort to further inflame tensions, destroy a path to peace in the region, and further divide the American people," she said.
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