Divisions within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party continue to deepen following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, with some pro-Israel Democrats forced to leave the main faction.
Rep. Richie Torres, D.N.Y., Axios first reported Wednesday, has left the House Progressive Caucus, making him the second Democrat to leave the caucus in recent months. I became the first person to see it. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) left the party last November.
Mr. Torres has clashed with some of his Democratic colleagues, including members of the far-left “Squad,” over his support for Israel.
In December, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) criticized Torres for suggesting that he was condoning Palestinian casualties as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas attacks. ) collided with
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Rep. Ritchie Torres speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Every casualty is a tragedy and every war is a humanitarian crisis, but we must keep in mind the causes of war,” he said in an interview with CNN host Dana Bash. Referring to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel, he said, “Israel did not start the war. It was a war imposed on Israel by Hamas’s barbaric terrorism. 1,400 people were massacred.”
“As you know, my colleague Congressman Omar voted against Iron Dome, the missile defense system that protects Israeli civilians from relentless rocket attacks,” he told CNN host Dana Bash. ” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the interception by Iron Dome, far more Israelis would have died. By an order of magnitude, far more. So the policy positions she has taken will have killed far more Israelis and more It would have resulted in the deaths of many Palestinians.”
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Rep. Richie Torres responded to Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s comments about Hamas’ treatment of women in an interview with CNN on October 7. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Torres responded in December to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and other far-left figures, seemingly unable to explain why some progressives are reluctant to condemn them. Hamas sexual violence To Israeli women.
CNN’s Bash asked Torres in an interview why it is so difficult for progressives to “unequivocally condemn the barbaric sexual violence against Israeli women.”
“Look, there is often a double standard toward Israel when it comes to condemning Hamas’s utter genocide and barbarism,” Torres said.
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Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib speaks at a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza near the Capitol in Washington on October 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade Rose, File)
“Public servants have a moral obligation to speak clearly, not to warn, and it is extremely worrying that, for example, UN Women, the UN’s so-called women’s rights arm, has gone 50 days without comment or condemnation. “This is the sexual atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli women. To me, this is not a matter of politics. This is a matter of decency.” Israelis on October 7 It is vulgar to deny or downplay rape and sexual violence against women, or to deny or downplay ‘both sides.’
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Torres was also one of 22 Democratic members of Congress who voted to censure Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib for anti-Israel comments.
Torres’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
