On Thursday, President Joe Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which he didn't just make his anger known regarding the accidental killing of seven aid workers from Work Central Kitchen, for which the IDF has taken responsibility and apologized for. He also threatened to change U.S.-Israel policy, with members of his administration, especially Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also joining in to further throw our ally under the bus. When it comes to how Biden's fellow Democrats handle the situation, we have the anti-Israel Squad members, and then we have members like Rep. Ritchie Torres from New York and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, both who are particularly pro-Israel. The other senator from Pennsylvania, though, Bob Casey, Jr., seems to be struggling as to where he fits.
A Friday report from Jewish Insider mentioned some of those pro-Israel Democrats, like Torres and Fetterman. Casey was also referenced. He's described as "another staunch Israel supporter," except like Blinken's comments from Thursday's press conference, a statement from a spokesperson focused on concerns for Gaza. There's also details missing to a key question:
A spokeswoman for Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), another staunch Israel supporter, would not say if the senator supported conditions on continued aid to Israel in the wake of the strike, instead saying in a statement to JI that, “Senator Casey believes the death of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers was a terrible tragedy and has strongly advocated for delivering much-needed food, medical supplies, and aid to civilians in Gaza.”
“His position has always been, and continues to be, that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, the hostages need to be released immediately, and much more needs to be done to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Casey spokeswoman Mairéad Lynn said.
If he's such a "staunch Israel supporter," it's rather curious that the senator cannot bring himself to say whether or not he supports a move that fellow Democrats are going for, which is to condition aid to Israel. The report also references Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and his support for such an anti-Israel move, interestingly describing him as "a once leading pro-Israel voice in the party who has become increasingly critical of its operations in Gaza..."
Coons, who is close with the president and a co-chair of his reelection campaign, is quoted as saying that the U.S. is "'at the point' where conditions on additional aid would be necessary if Netanyahu orders a large-scale operation in Rafah without humanitarian aid and protections."
Fetterman was just recently elected in 2022 to fill an open seat after former Republican Sen. Pat Toomey retired. He doesn't have to worry about reelection for many years. Casey, however, is on the ballot in November. Although Casey's slightly favored in the race, Republican Dave McCormick has been gaining on the vulnerable Democratic incumbent. This seat represents one of the many potential pickup opportunities Republicans have in the Senate for the 2024 cycle.
"Time and time again Bob Casey refuses to take a stand. Israel is fighting a war against terrorists. It shouldn't be hard to show moral clarity, but in classic Bob Casey fashion, he chose weakness over leadership," McCormick offered in a statement for Townhall.
McCormick has run a vocally pro-Israel campaign, and has called Casey out before for not being pro-Israel enough. As mentioned last October, just weeks after the October 7 attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel, it also looks as if Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA)--a member of the Squad--and her own reelection and primary challenge could affect this U.S. Senate race as well.
The need for pro-Israel voices and more clarity from members like Casey are also even further relevant when it comes to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). He not only called for new elections in Israel to oust Netanyahu in a floor speech from last month, but he appears to be sticking by all of that:
Asked if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would support conditions, a spokesperson pointed to his speech last month calling for new elections in Israel and describing Netanyahu as one of the “four major obstacles” to peace, noting that the majority leader did not call for conditions in his Senate address.
Whether or not Schumer called for conditions in that speech that was widely decried at home and in Israel, doesn't exactly help the situation for Democrats. What it does do is offer a reminder of how layered the anti-Israel sentiment is as the Democratic Party increasingly turns its back on our ally.