U.S. Senator blasts NYC mayor-elect over Palestinian solidarity focus, draws line between progressive and radical left
U.S. Senator John Fetterman, a pro-Israel Democrat from Pennsylvania, has issued sharp criticism of Zohran Mamdani and broader segments of the Democratic left over their approach to Israel policy, arguing that Mamdani’s anti-Zionist positions represent a departure from values that should unite progressives and Jewish voters. Fetterman’s critique, delivered in podcasts, television interviews, and speeches to pro-Israel advocacy organizations, reflects a growing tension within the Democratic Party between traditional pro-Israel positions and emerging left-wing anti-Zionist stances that have gained increasing influence in recent years. Fetterman has consistently argued that the Democratic Party’s evolution toward more critical positions on Israel represents both poor political strategy and a moral mistake. Speaking to NORPAC, a pro-Israel advocacy organization, Fetterman stated directly that Israel and the Jewish community deserve much better from his party than the direction represented by figures like Mamdani. His comments earned loud applause from attendees and reflected the political reality that Fetterman represents a vanishing Democratic caucus: pro-labor, skeptical of business interests, but consistently supportive of Israel as a Jewish state. Fetterman’s critique of Mamdani focuses on what he views as Mamdani’s failure to distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies and delegitimization of Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. According to Jewish Insider reporting, Fetterman told fellow Democrats that they must condemn antisemitic rhetoric even when it emerges from figures claiming to speak in solidarity with Palestinians. He specifically criticized Democratic leaders who fail to condemn the phrase globalize the intifada, which Fetterman views as inherently threatening to Jewish safety. Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the intifada phrase during his primary campaign, instead defending it as reflecting Palestinian solidarity, crystallizes Fetterman’s concern about the Democratic Party’s trajectory. The Pennsylvania Senator has been outspoken in arguing that Democratic pandering to progressive activists on Israel cost the party critical support from Jewish voters and Arab American voters who prioritize different issues. Fetterman blamed Democratic messaging on Israel and Gaza policy for undermining the party’s ability to win centrist and moderate voters in 2024. His argument suggests that Mamdani’s victory in New York represents not a forward movement for progressive politics but a step toward minority Democratic positions that will isolate the party from key constituencies. Fetterman’s Israel position is informed partly by personal experience with antisemitism. The 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting occurred fifteen minutes from Fetterman’s home and forced him to confront antisemitic violence directly. This experience shaped his political commitment to aggressively combating antisemitism and supporting Jewish communal security. CNN reporting on Fetterman’s evolution noted that his visit to the Tree of Life synagogue and his engagement with Pittsburgh’s Jewish community following the shooting deepened his commitment to treating antisemitism as a central political issue. This personal experience distinguishes Fetterman from younger progressives who lack direct connection to organized Jewish communities and can maintain abstract ideological positions without confronting real consequences for Jewish safety. Fetterman has been willing to break with his party explicitly and consistently on Israel policy in ways that jeopardize his standing with progressive organizations. He voted against measures calling for a Palestinian state that most Senate Democrats supported. He has praised Israeli military actions against Hamas and Iran that many progressives criticize. Most remarkably, he has become an unlikely political ally of right-wing Zionist organizations like the Zionist Organization of America, whose board has discussed honoring him for his consistent pro-Israel voting record. The fact that Fetterman receives praise from conservative pro-Israel groups while facing criticism from progressive activists demonstrates the depth of the pro-Israel left’s political isolation. In an interview with CNN, Fetterman directly addressed Mamdani’s approach to Israel and Gaza policy, noting that while Mamdani criticizes Israeli military operations, Fetterman places responsibility for Gaza’s humanitarian crisis on Hamas and Iranian backing of the organization. This reflects different frameworks for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mamdani views Israel’s military power and occupation as the primary drivers of Palestinian suffering. Fetterman views Hamas’s refusal to accept peaceful settlement and Iran’s destabilizing interventions as primary drivers of conflict. These frameworks lead to fundamentally different policy recommendations. Fetterman’s broader argument about Democratic strategy carries weight among centrist political operatives who note that Mamdani’s pro-Palestinian positioning may appeal to younger and more progressive voters while alienating older Jewish voters, Arab American voters focused on domestic issues, and swing voters in contested districts. The Pennsylvania Senator has warned fellow Democrats that doubling down on left-wing positions about Israel does not represent the path to political success. He pointed to Michigan, where Mamdani-aligned politics contributed to Democratic losses despite potential strength in Arab American communities. Instead of capturing Arab American votes through solidarity politics, Democratic divisions over Israel contributed to Arab American voters supporting Trump in Dearborn and other Michigan communities. Fetterman’s criticism has created space for other pro-Israel Democrats to emerge as vocal critics of Mamdani without appearing partisan or outdated. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a progressive Puerto Rican Democrat from the Bronx, has joined Fetterman in condemning antisemitic rhetoric and defending Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, though more measured in his public critiques, has similarly indicated discomfort with aspects of Mamdani’s campaign messaging on Israel. For the broader Jewish community, Fetterman’s willingness to break with progressive orthodoxy on Israel provides reassurance that not all Democratic leaders embrace Mamdani’s anti-Zionist positioning. Yet Fetterman’s political isolation on this issue within the Democratic caucus also demonstrates that his views increasingly represent minority opinion within his party. As Democratic voters have shifted toward more critical stances on Israel following the Gaza conflict, elected officials like Mamdani increasingly reflect their constituents’ positions even when those positions diverge from traditional Jewish Democratic political alignments. Fetterman’s warnings about this trajectory have been explicit but appear largely unheeded by party leadership focused on consolidating support among younger, more progressive voters.
