The staunchly pro-Israel Democratic Senator John Fetterman has told television host and podcaster Jon Stewart that he would rather lose support in his own party than turn his back on Israel for any reason.
The comments are striking because they come at a time when progressive Democrats who are vocal on Palestinian rights are making substantial election gains around the country.
On Wednesday, in the key battleground state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed beat out a pro-Israel candidate funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, moving one step closer to becoming the first Muslim senator in US history.
Even Rahm Emanuel, a former advisor to Barack Obama whose father was part of the Irgun militia that ransacked Palestinian homes and killed their residents in 1948, has acknowledged the Democratic Party needs to move away from unconditional support for Israel.
"There are a lot of stories of how I've become increasingly more unpopular with Democrats in my state. And I'm aware of it. But these were all very specific choices," Fetterman told Stewart in an interview recorded on Tuesday.
