Twenty-two Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against a resolution to condemn Hamas supporters in American universities following the rise in the conflict in the Middle East.
The resolution was introduced by Republican Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah last month and was passed with 396 votes for to 23 against, with 14 not voting.
It condemned “support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” and “antisemitism” on college campuses.
Those who voted against the motion included several progressive Democrats who have expressed support for Palestinians living in Gaza.
Here are the Democrats who refused to condemn Hamas supporters:
Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat for Oregon
Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat for New York and member of “The Squad” of progressives in the House
Cori Bush, a Democrat for Missouri and another Squad member
Andre Carson, a Democrat for Indiana
Maxwell Frost, a Democrat for Florida
Jesus G. ‘Chuy’ Garcia, a Democrat for Illinois
Jared Huffman, a Democrat for California
Jonathan L. Jackson, a Democrat for Illinois
Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat for Washington state
Summer L. Lee, a Democrat for Pennsylvania and a Squad member
Thomas Massie, a Republican for Kentucky. He said of his decision to vote no that there was no agreed definition of antisemitism, adding: “Free speech means protecting speech you don’t like, not just speech you do like.”
James P. McGovern, a Democrat for Massachusetts
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat for New York and founding member of The Squad
Ilhan Omar, a Democrat for Minnesota and another Squad founding member
Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat for Massachusetts and a further Squad founding member
Delia C. Ramirez, a Democrat for Illinois
Mark Takano, a Democrat for California
Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat for Michigan and founding Squad member, who is of Palestinian descent
Ritchie Torres, a Democrat for New York
Lauren Underwood, a Democrat for Illinois
Nydia M. Velazquez, a Democrat for New York
Maxine Waters, a Democrat for California
Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat for New Jersey
As Newsweek reported:
Bush, Bowman, Carson, Lee, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Ramirez, and Tlaib were previously among those to vote against a motion condemning Hamas for the October 7 attack, which killed an estimated 1,400 Israelis, including many civilians.
Many of those who voted against either resolution have publicly condemned the attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Since the outbreak of violence, tensions have been bubbling across U.S. college campuses over expressions of support for Palestinians, which in some cases have spilled over into expressions of support for Hamas’s actions and overt antisemitic threats.
At Harvard University, 31 student groups wrote in an open letter that Israel was “solely responsible” for Hamas’s attack, something that has lost some students job offers.
George Washington University has come under fire after controversial pro-Palestinian messages were projected onto a library—including the slogan “Glory to our martyrs”—while a Jewish alumni of Columbia University has threatened to pull his funding of the institution over its handling of tensions on campus.
READ: 22 Republicans Voted with Dems to Kill Censure of Rashida Tlaib, Here Are Their Names
