Resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza creates division among Tri-State Area Democrats
NEW YORK -- Palestinian American groups continued calls for a ceasefire in Gaza Friday after President Joe Biden on Thursday night made his case to the American people to stand by Israel and help fund their war against terrorism.
The liberal wing of the Democratic Party has been calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Several lawmakers from our area have signed a ceasefire resolution sponsored by Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush.
That's creating a division in the Democratic Party as more centrist Democrats defend the president's plan to support Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks.
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"These attacks continue, and Israel not only has to defend herself, but also make sure she can do everything she can to stop the terrorists and get out these hostages and get them home," New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer said.
Gottheimer, who sits on the intelligence committee, says the United States has to stand up against terrorists and that fellow lawmakers who've signed a "Ceasefire in Gaza" resolution don't represent all Democrats.
"They clearly don't speak for the party at all. I mean, you're talking about a very small group of extremists, who don't represent the views of the president of the United States, who you heard last night, or leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has been unequivocal in his support for Israel," Gottheimer said.
"You just called members of your own party 'extremists.' I just want to be clear?" CBS New York's Christine Sloan said.
"I think their views are extreme. Those views are extreme," Gottheimer said.
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On Thursday, Palestinian American groups blasted both Gottheimer and another New Jersey congressman, Bill Pascrell, for supporting Israel's right to defend itself but rejected answering a question on whether Hamas should be held responsible for starting the conflict. They held the press conference in front of Pascrell's Paterson office.
"Your district is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the nation. The largest Muslim community in the state, and you are silent on the suffering of Palestinians overseas," said Selaedin Maksut, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Other Democrats who signed the ceasefire letter include New York representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velasquez and Jamaal Bowman, as well as Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
"I truly believe this in my heart: Americans want a ceasefire. They want it to stop," Tlaib said.
Sixteen lawmakers in Congress have signed on the ceasefire resolution. The majority of the party stands with Biden.
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CAIR in New Jersey also released a statement saying it's disappointed with Biden's plan to increase aid to Israel, adding, "There are Palestinian Americans in Gaza right now whose lives are threatened."
"We are doing everything we can, as the United States is doing, to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, into southern Gaza, and we need to keep pressuring Egypt to open up its border," Gottheimer said.
Demonstrators in Midtown with New York City's Socialist Party also calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
