John Fetterman threatens to quit Democratic Party if next Senate leader is critical of Israel

John Fetterman threatens to quit Democratic Party if next Senate leader is critical of Israel

Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 11/14/2026 - 19:14 The Pennsylvania senator took aim at Van Hollen, who has accused Israel of using food as a weapon of war in Gaza US Senator John Fetterman speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2025. (Allison Robbert/AFP)
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Democratic Senator John Fetterman suggested on Saturday that he could leave his party if Senate Democrats chose a leader he considered insufficiently pro-Israel.

Fetterman singled out Senator Chris Van Hollen, a critic of Israel who on Thursday challenged Chuck Schumer, the septuagenarian hardline pro-Israel Democrat, for the Senate leadership. Van Hollen said the party needed new leadership after voters opted for change in this month’s midterm elections.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Fetterman said in a Fox News interview on Saturday when asked whether he had a red line that would make him “walk away” from the party.

“It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen that has really made his name being very anti, hostile to Israel,” said Fetterman, who has backed the Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

Democrats won 55 Senate seats in the midterms, giving them a comfortable majority. There had been speculation that Fetterman could defect to the Republicans if Democrats won just 51 seats, as many expected. With 55 seats, the party can retain its majority without him.

The Pennsylvania senator said he had yet to decide what he would do if Van Hollen became majority leader.

After visiting the Gaza border in September 2025, Van Hollen said: “In Gaza, the Netanyahu government is implementing its goal through the near-total destruction of civilian infrastructure and its use of food as a weapon of war.”

“These policies are part of a calculated effort to drive Palestinians out of Gaza by making it impossible for them to live there. Any talk of “voluntary departures” is a cruel hoax. Departure is not “voluntary” when the conditions needed to support life are extinguished,” he said.

Fetterman has made support for Israel a centrepiece of his time in office. He has visited Israel twice and met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at least four times, including in Washington.

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His support for Israel was so pronounced that his own staff mockingly dubbed him the “senator from Tel Aviv”, according to a New York Magazine investigation. Most of his staff have since resigned.

The investigation also identified David Safier, an American Orthodox Jewish fundraiser, as Fetterman’s closest adviser and confidant.

Safier holds no official position in Fetterman’s Senate office but advises him on policy, raises money for him from pro-Israel groups and arranges calls with Netanyahu, the magazine reported.

A Wall Streert Journal investigation this September found that Fetterman reportedly cancelled a meeting with three paralysed military veterans from Pennsylvania, citing illness, only to turn up at his office shortly afterwards for a Fox News interview about Israel.

The incident was among several uncovered by the WSJ investigation that found the Fetterman repeatedly avoided constituents and routine Senate duties while prioritising media appearances and advocacy for Israel.

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