Inside the emergence of Congress' unlikely Israel critics

Axios

30-07-2025

Israel is coming under an unprecedented barrage of criticism from some of Congress' most stridently pro-Israel Democrats and even some Republicans over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Why it matters: Lawmakers told Axios the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the U.S. public's growing apathy toward Israel have made it increasingly untenable to be unflinchingly pro-Israel.
"The public shifted quite a while ago. If the people lead, eventually, the leaders will follow," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a pro-Palestinian progressive, told Axios.
"We may be at that second stage. Pictures of starving kids getting shot seem to wake some people up."
Driving the news: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), in a Tuesday night post on X, became the first Republican in Congress to refer to the war in Gaza as a "genocide."
Though she has a history of inflammatory remarks about Jews and the Holocaust, Greene has been staunchly pro-Israel for most of her time in Congress. She even tried to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks for Tlaib's criticism of Israel.
But she has more recently sided with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) as an opponent of hawkish foreign policy in the Middle East, lambasting American and Israeli strikes on Iran last month as needlessly provocative.
Zoom out: President Trump's break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over starvation in Gaza is creating space for a GOP realignment on Israel.
For years, "America first" nationalists have been skeptical of U.S. foreign aid, but Trump and others carved out an exception for Israel. That consensus has eroded at a stunning rate over the last week.
"Everyone, regardless of politics, should support President [Trump] in his desire to immediately supply food to starving children and women in Gaza," Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), a Trump ally, said in a post on X.
Similarly, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) posted: "Standing with Israel means eliminating every barbaric Hamas terrorist. It also means rejecting the killing and starvation of children in Gaza. We must allow aid to enter Gaza."
Zoom in: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) has come under fire from pro-Israel allies over his support for Democratic New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and for what they say is growing criticism of Israel and Netanyahu.
Torres, who has been one of the most reflexively pro-Israel Democrats in Congress since the Oct. 7 attacks, accused Netanyahu of aligning with the Republican Party in an interview with journalist Chuck Todd.
He also said in a Tuesday post on X: "The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is morally unacceptable, and all parties, including the US and Israel, have a moral obligation to do their part in alleviating the hunger and hardship that have taken hold in Gaza."
Several of Torres' current and former colleagues expressed shock at his latest comments, but the congressman's office pushed back on the idea that he has shifted his position, pointing to past instances of him blasting Netanyahu and members of his government.
What they're saying: Even some pro-Israel House Democrats, while maintaining they have always called for humanitarian assistance to Gaza, acknowledged there has been growing urgency in recent days.
"Many of us, if not all of us, have been consistent on humanitarian aid," said one, speaking on the condition of anonymity. But the lawmaker conceded that "the situation has gotten worse" and that American voters' approval of Israel has been slipping.
"I think what's changed is the crisis has just gotten worse, and it does require Israel to do even more," said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), though he added the UN, Qatar and Hamas must do more as well.
The bottom line: "The reality of the images from Gaza are impossible to ignore," said former Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who fought to restrict U.S. arms shipments to Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks.