The Republican Party continues to express overwhelming support for Israel’s tactics against the Palestinians, particularly its controversial policy of starvation in Gaza. The ruling party has recently received increasing criticism from both inside and outside its ranks regarding the humanitarian catastrophe. It has been willing, despite this, to stick to its guns. This steadfast support continues in spite of the growing momentum behind Palestinian statehood at the UN and elsewhere among Western countries.
Donald Trump, the leading presidential candidate in the Republican party, recently called for the death penalty for fentanyl dealers. He critiques the lack of food access in Gaza through this militarized food distribution system, the GHF. His position demonstrates a prudent divide in the party. He walks a diplomatic tightrope between broadly humanitarian concerns about civilian casualties with Middle East policy political calculus. POLITICO analysts Mark Pfeifle, a Republican, and David Bolger, a Democrat, broke down Trump’s plan piece by piece. In addition, they examined its effect on Republican support among various demographic groups of voters.
Republicans more broadly are beginning to speak out against their party’s unconditional support of Israel, especially with calls of genocide on the Palestinian people in Gaza. The majority stick to their guns. This would include criticism aimed at other Western countries that have gone public with support for diplomatic paths towards recognizing Palestinian statehood. The Republican Party has fought against these conversations, doubling down on a belief that Israel has a right to defend itself.
Against this political backdrop, the Republican Party finds itself in crisis, at war with itself. Some members are rightly concerned about the humanitarian crisis that’s developing in Gaza. Despite their fears, their warnings have not resulted in any meaningful shift in party policy. The most surprising thing is that they still support Israel’s starvation strategy, most of the time — even as they lose support from Independent and Democratic voters. While public opinion seems to be turning in favor of tackling climate change, Republican leaders haven’t shifted with the tide.
Israel’s actions toward Gaza have been condemned from all sides, yet Republicans for some reason feel the need to defend these actions defensively. Critics argue that the party’s stance reflects an outdated perspective that fails to address the ongoing humanitarian issues at play. Even still, the GOP’s leadership clearly wants us to double-down on support for Israel while the world watches and judges.
