US Democratic House members push for Palestinian statehood recognition as party undergoes major churn over Israel

More than a dozen progressive Democrats in the US House of Representatives have signed a draft letter urging the Trump administration to formally recognise a Palestinian state, in what marks a significant shift in the party’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The move is being led by Representative Ro Khanna of California, who plans to introduce a congressional resolution in the coming weeks to give the initiative legislative weight.

Addressed to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the letter currently has 13 signatories and is expected to attract more support before being sent next month.

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Among the signatories are prominent progressive voices such as Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Greg Casar of Texas and Maxwell Frost of Florida. The effort underscores growing frustration within the party over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded as a result.

“We believe recognising Palestinian statehood and obligating Palestinian leaders to abide by the international law binding on states and their governments will make that far more achievable and sustainable than decades of statelessness and repression have,” the letter says.

Israel’s prolonged military campaign in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian conditions seems to have shifted the mood within the Democratic Party. While past efforts to challenge Israel’s actions have often been confined to the party’s left flank, support is now spreading among moderates who have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government.

The appeal by House Democrats also reflects a broader international trend. Leaders of several close allies of Israel, including Britain, Canada and France, have in recent weeks announced their intention to recognise a Palestinian state.

The Democrats’ letter echoes these developments, stressing that any viable Palestinian state must also recognise Israel and ensure its security, including through the disarmament of Hamas. A similar proposal was floated last month by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Despite its significance, the Democratic initiative is unlikely to shift policy under the Trump administration. In a recent White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the president’s opposition to recognising Palestinian statehood, describing such a move as tantamount to “rewarding Hamas”.

Khanna, whose draft was leaked to the press in what he described as an attempt to sabotage the campaign, insisted that the move would not derail the effort. “Leaks won’t slow us down,” he said.

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Within the Democratic Party, support for Israel’s military actions has plummeted to historic lows. A Gallup poll released last week found that only 8 per cent of Democrats approve of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. In contrast, 71 per cent of Republicans expressed approval. A separate Pew Research poll found that 70 per cent of Democrats now hold an unfavourable view of Israel—up from 53 per cent in 2022.

These shifting views are increasingly being reflected in legislative action. A majority of the Senate Democratic caucus, including some centrist members, voted recently in favour of a resolution to block the export of assault rifles to Israel’s National Police, which is overseen by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. A second resolution, aimed at halting certain bomb sales, gained slightly less support. Though both measures ultimately failed, they marked a striking rebuke of Netanyahu’s war strategy and signalled a new level of Democratic willingness to place conditions on military aid.

Among those supporting the resolutions was Senator Patty Murray of Washington, who had previously voted against similar proposals.

“As a longtime friend and supporter of Israel, I am voting yes to send a message: The Netanyahu government cannot continue with this strategy,” she said in a statement.

Many within the Democratic Party believe it is possible to draw a clear line between supporting Israel’s right to exist and opposing the policies of its current government.

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“We can recognise Israel as an ally of the United States, an important ally, and also recognise that we have a responsibility as humans to step up wherever we see this sort of starvation,” said Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland.

In recent years, Democrats have grown increasingly wary of the perception that support for Israel is becoming a partisan issue. Netanyahu’s close ties with President Trump and his adversarial relationship with former President Barack Obama only exacerbated this view. With Democratic voters confronted by daily with images of devastation from Gaza, criticisms of Israel are no longer confined to the margins.

Even within Republican ranks, cracks are emerging. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, called the situation in Gaza a “genocide” in a recent post on X, diverging sharply from her party’s otherwise unwavering support for Netanyahu.

Khanna and his colleagues now hope the United States will follow the lead of over 147 countries that have already recognised a Palestinian state. “The recognition would come by embracing the 22-state Arab League Plan just passed this week that calls for a Palestinian state and the recognition of Israel as a Jewish democratic state,” said Khanna. “We cannot be isolated from the rest of the free world.”

Middle East