Sen. Chris Coons (D‑DE), one of President Joe Biden‘s strongest Democratic allies in the Senate, offered his clearest indication yet that he would support conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel in the aftermath of an airstrike that killed humanitarian aid workers.
For months, Coons has said he would support conditions on the aid if Israel were to move forward with a full-scale ground invasion into Rafah. However, the senator, generally a pro-Israel Democrat, expressed the frustrations of many party lawmakers who are starting to pull away from the idea of unrestricted aid as the civilian death toll in Gaza rises.
When asked if now is the time to tell Israel that there needs to be a change in tactics if U.S. military aid is to continue, Coons said to CNN on Thursday, “I think we’re at that point.”
“I’ve never said that before, I’ve never been here before,” the senator continued. “I’ve been a strong supporter of Israel the whole time I’ve served in Congress.”
The Israeli airstrike on Monday that killed seven humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen has exacerbated a growing divide within the Democratic Party as the Jewish state attempts to destroy Hamas in the aftermath of …