White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed Democrats’ anti-Israel rhetoric as a “range of agreements and disagreements” during Monday’s press briefing.
Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked whether far-left members of the Democratic Party breaking from President Joe Biden on Israel will drive a “wedge” within the party. Members of the party, notably Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, have expressed solidarity with Palestine while condemning Israel as war rages between Israelis and Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group.
“A lot of Democrats, particularly in and around ‘The Squad’ have openly disagreed with the president for being too supportive of Israel. There’s also been some grassroots groups who’ve backed the president now indicating that this could be a deal breaker for them. Is the president worried that this will continue to be a wedge issue within the party, and why can’t he get his fellow Democrats on the same page?” Reese asked.
“So look. In our party, there’s going to be [a] various range of agreements and disagreements, and that’s the way it is, right?” the press secretary replied. “And particularly in the Democratic Party, the president is gonna continue to be clear about this. You heard it at the top when Jake Sullivan was giving an update on the Middle East where the president stands. The president has been very clear, and when it comes to Israel and what we saw on October 7, Israel has the right to defend itself. They have a right to defend itself.”
Jean-Pierre said the White House will continue to support Israel and call for the “rule of law” to be followed in regards to the war. She reiterated Israel is defending itself against terrorists.
Hamas beheaded, burned alive, raped and kidnapped innocent Israeli civilians during the Oct. 7 attack, which left at least 1,400 Israelis dead.
Some Democrats and left-wing organizations have threatened to not support Biden in the 2024 presidential race if he continues supporting Israel. (RELATED: Biden Is Living In A Different Reality Than His Progressive Base, Daily Caller Reporter Explains)
“I feel very betrayed by Biden,” Angela Balya, a 28-year-old who attended a pro-Palestine protest in Manhattan, told The New York Times (NYT). “I definitely will not be voting for him again.”
“If the Democratic Party and President Biden continue to send weapons and military support to Israel, it threatens to lose our generation, and that’s a very dangerous choice to make ahead of a critical election year,” Michele Weindling told The NYT. Weindling serves as political director of the Sunrise Movement, a climate activist group that supported Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020.
Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Biden may be in great “trouble” ahead of the 2024 race over his support for Israel.
“But I will tell you this is the first time, Jen, that I have felt like the 2024 election is in great trouble for the president and for our Democratic control, which is essential to moving forward, because these young people — Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, but also young people — see this conflict as a moral conflict and a moral crisis. And they are not going to be brought back to the table easily if we do not address this,” Jayapal told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in a Nov. 6 interview.
A leaked memo found the president’s own staffers have criticized him for his pro-Israel stance, saying the White House must “publicly criticize Israel’s violations of international norms” and stand against alleged “settler violence and illegal land seizures.”