Across America, anti-Israel activists have been disrupting congressional town hall meetings and shouting down Democratic lawmakers. It’s almost always about support for Israel.
Vandalism and Physical Assaults
Washington State Democrat Congressman Adam Smith has seen his home vandalized and a fire set in his driveway. A staff member was assaulted by a protester at one of his town halls.
Smith says he’s given up trying to hold in-person town halls because they are continually disrupted by anti-Israel demonstrators.
He told Jewish Insider, “This is my biggest problem with the left. I have been unable to hold a town hall meeting for a year because a bunch of leftists show up and scream at me and don’t let anyone else speak… You talk about ‘illiberal’? Having people stand out in front of my house, screaming death threats at me and threatening my wife, okay?”
A longtime supporter of Israel, Smith joined more than a hundred other Democrats last month to vote for the Massie amendment that would cut off military aid to the Jewish state. Although the amendment failed, it still caused a political earthquake, showing how much support for Israel has dropped among Democrats in Congress.
Adam Turner, deputy director of government relations for the Zionist Organization of America, warned, “The more victories the anti-Israel types have, the more the regular Democrats are afraid, and the more they’re afraid, the less likely they are to be pro-Israel.”
Some House Democrats Will No Longer Meet with Pro-Israel Supporters
Turner told CBN News that a disturbing trend is that some Democratic lawmakers refuse to even meet with members and supporters of his organization.
“Which is sort of shocking. I mean, I used to work on the Hill, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and we were told that, you know, when a constituent comes in, no matter where that person is on the issues, you treat them with respect. You bring them in. You listen to their concerns, and you say, ‘Thank you for what you’re saying. I will get to the senator and tell them what you’re saying, and we’ll see what happens then.’ And that’s all you’re supposed to do. And they wouldn’t even meet with some of these people. So, it’s a real problem.”
Pro-Israel Governor’s House Firebombed by Hamas Supporter
Among pro-Israel Democrats, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was firebombed, Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida has received threatening voicemails targeting himself and his family, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer says the FBI told him it disrupted a potential large-scale attack on pro-Israel members of Congress.
How much have the threats and intimidation played a part in causing Democratic lawmakers to drop their support for Israel? While it’s impossible to know for sure, support for Israel among congressional Democrats has dropped dramatically.
In 2024, only 17 percent of House Democrats voted against aid to Israel. In 2026, the number voting against the financing package grew to nearly half, 48 percent.
Put Pro-Israel Senator’s ‘Head on a Pike’
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman has consistently criticized the party for becoming more “anti-Israel.” Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who opposes helping Israel, was leading polls before Michigan’s Democratic primary Tuesday despite suggesting in a call to donors that Fetterman should be defeated, referring to him as an “ogre” whose head should be put on a pike.
El-Sayed can be heard on the call saying, “Ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message.”
Party leaders have yet to condemn the speech given by Hasan Piker to the College Democrats of America national convention last month, in which Piker called for ousting Democrats who support Israel. Piker has also said the U.S. deserved 9/11, that he backs Hamas over Israel, and has called Israeli and Orthodox Jews “inbred” and “psychopath.”
Moderate Lawmakers Swayed by ‘Energy’ on the Left
David Harsanyi, senior writer at the Washington Examiner, says moderate Democrats are allowing the party to be pulled away from supporting Israel because they see that the energy right now is in the so-called progressive wing.
“I’m not saying that everyone who’s critical of Israel is an anti-Semite, but I mean, where you stand on Israel — and again, I’m not saying Israel does everything perfect — to me is a kind of a moral IQ test,” Harsanyi said. “If you’re defending Hamas, if you’re with the Iranian regime, if you’re flying a Palestinian flag in a protest, I’m almost certain that you hate America as well.”
By one estimate, only about a third of American Jews are believed to vote Republican. That number could potentially see a dramatic increase if hostility to Israel within the Democratic Party and threats to lawmakers continue.
