Democrats said to back massive IDF campaign against Hamas but incensed by continued settler violence

Haaretz reporter Amir Tibon says he just held a virtual briefing with roughly 70 Democratic members of Congress organized by J Street and gained the impression that Israel has the party’s backing for a massive military campaign against Hamas.

At the same time, there was considerable concern among members about continued settler violence in the West Bank, which has taken the lives of a handful of Palestinians over the past several days, including one who was shot point blank in front of IDF soldiers who watched and didn’t intervene.

There is no legitimacy in the party for Israel to use the Gaza conflict to further undermine the status quo in the West Bank, Tibon says.

Tibon says some of the lawmakers were moved to tears as he shared his experience hiding with his family in a bomb shelter for hours on Saturday as Hamas carried out its onslaught throughout southern Israel.