Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal has expressed that Americans are ‘quite far away’ from the position taken by the Biden administration on the Israel-Hamas war.
Progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said Sunday that President Joe Biden may risk losing Arab and Muslim votes due to his unwavering support for Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas terrorists.
Ms. Jayapal, chair of the far-left Congressional Progressive Caucus, told NBC News that President Biden needs to be “careful” about how he handles the Israel-Hamas conflict as it might hurt his reelection bid next year.
“I have been one of President Biden’s biggest supporters. I have been proud to be a partner as he has been courageous and strong on the domestic front,” the fellow Democrat told the news outlet on Oct. 29.
“I think that the president needs to be just as courageous on this issue so that we keep the unity within our country,” she added of her caucus’s position.
Ms. Jayapal said she believes that Americans are “quite far away” from the position taken by the Biden administration on the war that has seen Israel bombarding Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly attack on Oct. 7.
“They [Americans] support the right for Israel to defend itself, to exist. But they do not support a war crime exchange for another war crime. And I think the president needs to be careful about that.
“I am certainly concerned about his approach to this,” she noted, adding that President Biden will need to “call us to a higher moral place.”
President Biden has expressed his unwavering support for Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack launched by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 people, including 32 Americans. Hamas took over 200 hostages from Israel during its terror attack, which it is now using as bargaining chips in negotiations despite international calls, including by the United Nations, for their immediate release.
Meanwhile, Israel has vowed to permanently dismantle Hamas and secure its borders, and has carried out airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll in Gaza has passed 8,000 on Oct. 29.
