Progressive Ayanna Pressley fumes after ‘troubling’ vote to force Biden to deliver bombs to Israel passes House with support from 16 Democrats

Democrats helped pass a bill on Thursday to force Joe Biden to supply the Israeli army, angering the party’s progressive flank.

Divisions in Democrats’ approach to the war have widened in recent weeks, raising tensions among liberal lawmakers.

Pro-Israel Democrats in the House of Representatives have expressed solidarity with the embattled nation, while Biden and progressive lawmakers have shown skepticism, if not outrage, over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to invade Rafah.

In a rebuke to the White House, Democrats in the House of Representatives worked with Republicans to pass the bill to force Biden’s hand, highlighting the precarious position some left-leaning lawmakers find themselves in regarding their support for Israel.

Earlier this month, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) invaded the southern Gaza city and appeared poised to wipe out what they claimed was one of Hamas’s last strongholds.

Days later, Joe Biden warned Netanyahu to carry out a ground invasion of the city – and halted a shipment of bombs to the country.

Now progressives are angry that some of their Democratic colleagues have defected to support the Republican-led measure to force Biden to fulfill his promise to provide military aid to Israel.

“It’s very disturbing to me,” Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., to DailyMail.com.

“I think we need to focus on everything we can do to reduce the escalation and save lives. And that is why I have been calling for a permanent ceasefire since October. It is the only way to save lives, return hostages to their families and provide humanitarian aid.”

Still, she said the party is united despite their differences over the war in Israel.

“I think our caucus has proven time and time again that we are a united caucus and even if we disagree on how to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region, I believe this is what everyone wants.” , she continued.

Her fellow ‘Squad’ member Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told DailyMail.com: ‘We are Democrats, and we must allow the president to continue doing the things that will bring us to an immediate ceasefire in the US. Middle East and to get the hostages released and to get humanitarian aid.”

“I think this is what the president is trying to do,” Jayapal continued. “We can’t tie his hands.”

The bill is “bad policy,” said Rep. Dean Phillips D-Minn Axiosadding that it’s a “tough vote (for Democrats) because of the optics.”

“There’s a lot of consternation about it, and that’s the sad truth about the institute.”

“It’s more about political optics and putting people in difficult positions rather than doing what’s right,” Phillips continued.

The bill, called the Israel Security Assistance Support Actwas supported by 16 Democrats and easily passed in the House of Representatives.

Among them were Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Darren Soto, D-Fla.

The measure would ban the White House from withholding foreign aid approved by Congress to Israel and would require the “immediate delivery” of the supplies Biden vowed to withhold.

Should the White House not comply, funds for the Defense Department and the State Department would be restricted, including the salaries of certain federal officials.

If the bill passes the Senate, which is unlikely, the Biden administration would have 15 days to send the previously withheld aid.

“If Schumer refuses to bring this bill to a vote, he will be telling the world that his party, the Democrats, is no longer willing to support our great ally,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday ahead of the vote.

“Biden and Schumer are telling Israel that they can only put out part of that fire. That’s simply not going to work. Israel must do the job, Johnson said.

But to Johnson’s chagrin, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer DY said this week that the bill “doesn’t go anywhere.”

And even if that were the case, the White House announced Tuesday that Biden would veto the legislation.

The shipment in question consisted of 3,500 bombs, including 500- and 2,000-pound artillery, which have the ability to paralyze parts of Rafah, where about a million Palestinians have moved to avoid the war in the north.

“We strongly oppose efforts to limit the President’s ability to deploy U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives,” the White House press secretary said. Karine Jean-Pierre said this on Monday.

At the same news conference, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated that Biden’s pause only extended to one specific shipment of bombs.

“We have stopped the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities,” he said Monday.

“We are talking to the Israeli government about this.”

“We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation in the heart of Rafah that would endanger large numbers of civilians without a clear strategic advantage,” Sullivan added.

The move was controversial and prompted Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida to file articles of impeachment against Biden for withholding the arms shipment approved by Congress.

Last week, a group of 26 House Democrats expressed concern about the White House decision and sent a letter to Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“We are deeply concerned about the message the administration is sending to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorists by blocking arms shipments to Israel at a crucial juncture in the negotiations,” the Democrats, led by Jewish Rep. Josh Gottheimer, said in a statement. DN. J., wrote.

“We have a duty to continue to provide Israel with the resources it needs to defend itself and crush the terrorists who also want to harm America, to free the hostages, including the Americans, to continue to provide crucial humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians in Gaza, and to support our democratic allies around the world.”

Some signers of the letter voted in favor of the bill on Thursday.