Congressional Democrats Wheel on Israel After Its Stunning Strikes on Iran

Some Democratic lawmakers are warning that Israel’s strikes on Iran are “dangerous” and “reckless,” prompting a former director of one America’s largest groups aimed at combating antisemitism to say their response left him “shocked and flabbergasted.”Reactions to Israel’s stunning strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and top military leaders are pouring in from lawmakers in Washington, and several prominent Democrats are condemning the operation as a “dangerous” or “reckless escalation.”The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, had still not posted a statement about Israel’s strikes on Friday morning, but on X he shared a video in which he condemns immigration officials for handcuffing Senator Padilla. Mr. Schumer’s office did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. The rest of the Senate Democratic leadership and much of the caucus had not posted about Israel’s strikes by 10 a.m. on Friday. However, some of their accounts posted about other matters. The Senate minority whip, Dick Durbin, posted about President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, said in a statement, “Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence. These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces.”Senator Murphy said in a post on X, “Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration’s negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers – including our own allies – have for President Trump.”He said that Iran’s decision to scale up its nuclear program was a “disaster” of Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s “own making,” and that the region is at risk of “spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict.”The Connecticut senator said that America has “no obligation to follow Israel into a war we did not ask for.”Senator Schiff said in a lengthy post on X that he is “closely watching the situation in the Middle East,” and warned Iran against retaliating against America. “Since the first Trump administration withdrew from the previous nuclear agreement with Iran, it has continued to enrich uranium to higher and higher levels, reducing its breakout time substantially,” Mr. Schiff said. “Recently, the Trump administration has attempted to negotiate a new agreement to curtail Iran’s nuclear program that looks a lot like the old agreement. That possibility is now less probable in the wake of this attack.”Senator Kaine said he is “deeply concerned about the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran,” and said he commends the Trump administration for “prioritizing diplomacy and working to curb Iran’s nuclear program.” He criticized the Jewish state for launching its strike as America was scheduled to hold another round of nuclear negotiations with Iran this weekend. He also appeared on CNN and suggested that Israel had “torch[ed] diplomacy.”Senator Markey posted on X that the world is “reaping the whirlwind” of what he called the “historic mistake” of Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Obama-era nuclear deal. Mr. Markey said that for the “sake of the safety of American citizens and forces” and the stability of the Middle East, there should be a “diplomatic engagement.”A senator of Vermont, Peter Welch, posted a brief statement on X, saying Israel’s strike “risks a regional war and thwarts the Trump nuclear negotiations that were underway with Iran.”The criticism from Democrats drew a strong rebuke from the director emeritus of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, who said he was “shocked and flabbergasted.”“This after Democratic President Biden first told Iran ‘don’t’ and in April and October 2024 put together a coalition of countries to defend Israel. This after Oct. 7, Iran organized a coalition of terrorist groups to attack Israel, violated all commitments on nuclear control and dragged negotiations to enhance nuclear enrichment,” Mr. Foxman said. “Shame on those congressional leaders. We need to remember!”Some Senate Democrats posted in support of Israel. Senator Fetterman wrote, “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”Meanwhile, Senator Rosen said, “The Iranian regime and its proxies have been very public about their commitment to the destruction of Israel and Jewish communities around the world. We should take them at their word.”“Israel acted in self-defense against an attack from Iran, and the U.S. must continue to stand with Israel, as it has for decades, at this dangerous moment,” she said. On the House side, a left-wing congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib said Israel’s strike is a “dangerous escalation that could lead to a regional war.” She called for America to cut off funding to Israel. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said that “everyone in America” should “prepare themselves to either see their tax dollars being spent on weapon supplies to Israel or be dragged into war with Iran if this escalates.”A senior Democratic lawmaker on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Brad Sherman, said in a statement that “what Israel has done is understandable and justified.”“Israel did not take this step lightly. There will be retaliation from Iran, and likely also from the Houthis and Hezbollah. Many Israeli civilians will be killed. Israel took this action because it believed it had no other choice,” Mr. Sherman said in a statement. “Israel could not wait until Iran had a stockpile of nuclear weapons ready to be launched.”While many Democrats criticized Israel, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that he gave Iran “chance after chance to make a deal” and that he warned Tehran a strike would be “much worse” than it anticipated. He urged Iran to make a deal “before there is nothing left.”

Congressional Democrats Wheel on Israel After Its Stunning Strikes on Iran

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