(UnitedVoice.com) – The war between Israel and Hamas has fractured the US. Many Americans staunchly support Israel, while others have accused the Israeli government of carrying out a genocide. The disagreements are even between members of the same party. In this case, a Democrat is breaking ties with his caucus over it.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) decided to leave the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) after disagreeing with its members over their position on the war. A source reportedly confirmed the New York congressman’s recent decision in a statement to The Hill, and the Democrat is no longer listed on the caucus’ website. Torres has refused to call for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip like other members of the CPC. He’s the second Democrat to leave the caucus in recent months.
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), a strong supporter of Israel, left in November over an internal disagreement between its members about the war. Both Frankel and Torres voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), one of the caucus’ vice chairs and the only Palestinian-American in Congress, over remarks she made about Israel.
Torres’ decision to leave the caucus is somewhat surprising. In December, he claimed he was going to remain because he didn’t “fear debate or viewpoint diversity.”
Business Insider reported that Torres “never showed up” for the caucus meetings. The source, an unnamed lawmaker, claimed they had never seen him “show up to anything,” explaining that he might have been forced out if he “was out of compliance.”
Torres has left a progressive caucus in the past. In 2017, when he served as a New York City councilman, he left the council’s progressive caucus after he sponsored a police reform bill and faced backlash. He told the press that he left the group because he didn’t want to be a member of a caucus that aided and abetted “the public humiliation of one of its colleagues.”
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