As President Biden faces a threat of rebellion within his own party for his support of Israel, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is daring voters to risk letting another candidate win, according to a column published Sunday.
Fetterman compared Democrats' lackluster support for Hillary Clinton in 2016 to the current presidential election.
"Fetterman, who has delighted in trolling left-wing critics by resolutely standing with Israel since Oct. 7, told me young voters should consider the implications of enabling a candidate who would likely give Netanyahu even more of a free hand," Politico columnist Jonathan Martin wrote Sunday.
FETTERMAN SLAMS HARVARD FOR HOSTING PALESTINIAN PROFESSOR WHO BLAMED ISRAEL FOR OCT. 7 HAMAS ATTACKS
"I said the same thing in 2016 to voters, I said: ‘Hey, you know what, you don’t like Clinton, you know what f--k around and find out what Trump is going to be about and, hey guess what, how’d you like it?’" Fetterman said, according to Politico.
The Pennsylvania senator, unlike other members of his party, has signaled strong support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
Fetterman's position on Israel differs greatly from that of several progressive Democrats in the House and Senate and was reaffirmed in January when Fetterman spoke at a leadership luncheon hosted by the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C.
He questioned why those who targeted Israel through demonstrations around the United States and the world are not "protesting Hamas."
"They're blocking tunnels, they're blocking roads," Fetterman said. "Why? Why aren’t they protesting, ‘When will we get the hostages back home?’ Why aren’t they protesting Hamas? Why aren't they protesting systemic rape and torture of Israeli women and children?"
Martin warned Democrats that the "most acute peril" to Biden in his likely rematch with former President Trump comes from the left.
"[h]ow many Biden speeches must be shouted down until Democrats realize that a hot war in Gaza this fall may mean 30,000 fewer votes apiece in Madison, Dearborn and Ann Arbor and therefore the presidency?" Martin asked.
Biden has been interrupted in multiple speeches in recent weeks over his support for Israel. Protesters have called him "Genocide Joe," also chanting slogans like "Free Gaza" and "Stop funding genocide."
The debate over America's response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel has caused a rift within the Democratic Party. That division has also shown itself in polls of Arab Americans.
Some polls indicate that Biden's support among that key demographic is falling, including a survey conducted by Arab American Institute president James Zogby.
"Zogby conducted a poll in October that showed that support for Biden among Arab Americans had plummeted to 17 percent, down from 59 percent in 2020," The Post wrote. "Zogby’s poll also found that two-thirds of Arab Americans have a negative view of Biden’s response to the violence in Israel and Gaza."
Fox News' Kyle Morris, Bradford Betz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
