(Substack)—New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand found themselves in the crosshairs of their own party’s radical fringe on Friday, as anti-Israel protesters stormed their Manhattan offices demanding an end to U.S. support for the Jewish state.
The demonstration, organized by anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, drew around 200 participants who wore shirts emblazoned with “Let Gaza Live” and banged empty pots and pans to symbolize what they claim is a starvation crisis in Gaza. Among those arrested was New York City Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, a vocal anti-Israel figure, highlighting how far-left elements are increasingly dominating Democrat politics.
The protesters, chanting “Let Gaza live!” even after being removed from the building, were furious over the senators’ votes against resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders to block $675 million in bomb sales and shipments of 20,000 automatic assault rifles to Israel.
Jay Saper, a spokesperson for the group, explained their outrage: “We are calling on them to let aid in, to stop the bombing and allow aid into the Palestinian people of Gaza right now. This starvation crisis in Gaza is at a tipping point, and so we have to raise our voices.”
He added, “These Senators refuse to take that action to save lives and our Jewish tradition teaches us that life is precious, so that’s why we’re calling on them to block arms to Israel so that the people of Gaza can live.”
The Senate votes earlier this week rejected Sanders’ efforts, with the resolution on assault rifles failing 27-70 and the one on bombs going down 24-73. Yet the tally revealed a deepening divide within the Democratic Party, as more than half the caucus—27 Democrats—supported blocking the rifles, and 24 backed halting the bombs.
Sanders framed the issue as responding to public sentiment: “a significant majority of the American people who are tired of spending billions and billions of dollars on an Israeli government which is currently starving children to death.”
Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho countered by placing blame squarely on Hamas: “They use the people of Gaza as human shields, and they steal the food that the people of Gaza need. It is in the interest of America and the world to see this terrorist group destroyed.”
All GOP senators opposed the resolutions, underscoring the stark partisan contrast on Israel.
Schumer, facing backlash from his left flank, defended his position in a statement: “As I said this week, the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government have a responsibility to urgently work with experienced and long-standing humanitarian and development partners of the U.S. to surge the delivery of food, services, and humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians in Gaza. I have also long held that security assistance to Israel is not about any one government but about our support for the Israeli people. For that reason, I voted no on the resolutions of disapproval on aid to Israel.”
This isn’t the first time Schumer has drawn ire from pro-Palestinian activists; last year, over 100 were arrested near his Brooklyn home. Polls even suggest vulnerability in his own backyard, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez potentially crushing him 54% to 33% in a hypothetical primary.
Saper vowed the pressure would continue: “We are committed to continuing to build our movement and to raise our voices until the bombs stop dropping on Gaza, until Aid has been allowed in and until the Palestinian people are free.”
As the protest unfolded, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) appeared on Fox News’ “America Reports” to deliver a scathing rebuke of the demonstrators and their Democratic enablers. “Number one, most of those people protesting believe in diversity, equity, inclusion and the right to hurt Jewish people. Number two, I think Israel has made the world safer. Let me tell you what I mean by that. With the Biden administration hanging all over Israel’s back, all Israel has done is destroy Hamas, destroy Hezbollah, and put Iran on its knees. The Middle East is a much safer place as a result.”
Kennedy didn’t hold back on his colleagues across the aisle, concluding: “Shame, shame, shame on my Democratic friends for not supporting Israel and freedom.”
The scene in Manhattan serves as a stark reminder of how the Democratic Party’s embrace of extreme elements has led to internal turmoil. By ceding ground to pro-Hamas voices, leaders like Schumer are now reaping the chaos they’ve sown, while conservatives stand firm in backing Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.
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