GOP Split on Gaza Grows, as MTG Calls Crisis a 'Genocide'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing lawmaker closely identified with President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, this week became the first Republican in Congress to describe the situation in Gaza as a 'genocide.'
'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,' Greene, who represents Georgia, said in a social media post Monday evening. The post was in response to fellow Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who had posted last week on X: 'Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.'
Greene's declaration represented a sharp turn for her on the fraught issue of Gaza. Since Hamas' terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, virtually all prominent Republicans have been in lockstep in support of Israel's military campaign. Weeks after Hamas' attack, Greene filed a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, over her criticism of Israel.
Read More: The Malnutrition Crisis in Gaza Will Outlive the War, Experts Warn
The shift from Greene was the latest sign of a broader debate within the Republican Party over Gaza. Greene's words came the same day as Trump seemed to break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Netanyahu's claims that there is no starvation in Gaza. Trump made clear to reporters at an event in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he believed the starvation there was 'real.'
'We're going to set up food centers, and we're going to do it in conjunction with some very good people,' Trump said. 'We're going to supply funds… and we're going to spend a little money on some food. Other nations are joining us.'
Starmer later said on Tuesday that the U.K. would recognize Palestine as a state if Israel did not make 'substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza' and make moves towards 'sustainable, long-term peace.'
Though Trump did not explicitly condemn Netanyahu, he did acknowledge he 'told Bibi [Netanyahu] that you have to maybe do it a different way.'
Republicans are more divided on the issue than they have been since the Oct. 7 attack.
While a few fellow Republicans have joined Greene's condemnation—'More need to speak out,' she said in response to a post from Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas about Gaza's 'humanitarian crisis'—others are insisting the fault over the situation still lies with Hamas.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he 'shares the President's view,' but also accused Hamas of intercepting and diverting much of the food aid going to Gaza.
'The humanitarian thing obviously when you see people hurting in a need like that, is to want to help meet that need and alleviate that pain,' Thune said at his weekly press conference. 'I think all of us want to see, obviously, a peaceful solution there that gets the hostages freed and ends the reign and rule of Hamas in the region. But in the meantime, do everything we can to ease the pain and the hunger that's afflicting so many of the people in that region.'
North Carolina's Republican Sen. Thom Thillis simultaneously told The Hill that Hamas deserves blame and that Trump was 'right to hold elected [officials] accountable,' saying he would 'encourage Mr. Netanyahu to just be sensitive to that.'
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Chris Hollen of Maryland said Sunday on CBS's Face The Nation that claims that Hamas was stealing U.N.-delivered food were a "big lie."
Many others in the Republican Party remain staunch in their support for Netanyahu's government.
'I want to be crystal clear on my thoughts regarding the catastrophe in Gaza: I blame Hamas 100%,' South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham said on X on Tuesday. 'If you want this suffering to end, call on Hamas to lay down their weapons and their leaders to take safe passage out of Gaza. The criticism of Israel is beyond the pale as they are fighting for their very existence.'
The split within the GOP comes amid mounting pressure from Democrats and the international community for both Israel and the U.S. to better address starvation in Gaza. On Tuesday, 40 Senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, imploring them and Trump to address starvation in Gaza with the resumption of ceasefire talks. The Senators also expressed opposition to 'permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people.'
'To prevent the situation from getting even worse, we urge you to advocate for a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip, including through the use of experienced multilateral bodies and NGOs that can get life-saving aid directly to those in need and prevent diversion,' the letter reads.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pro-Palestine protesters block three key routes in central London
Pro-Palestine protesters blocked roads at three key junctions in central London to highlight the situation in Gaza. Youth Demand activists blocked Holland Park roundabout, Euston Road outside King's Cross station and a key junction in Holborn on Saturday, calling for the government to impose a trade embargo on Israel. Protesters were seen chanting 'free the people, free the land' as they lit flares in the street in Holland Park. Meanwhile, traffic could be seen building up nearby. On the other side of central London, protesters waved flags and chanted 'shut it down for Palestine' on Euston Road. Activists also chanted 'stop bombing Gaza' as drivers waited for the road to clear. Drivers were then seen beeping their horns in frustration as protesters held flares up in Holborn, while a cyclist looped around the activist with a Palestine flag attached to the back of his bike. Youth Demand explained its activists had blocked the roads to demand 'an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza'. The group wrote on X: 'By arming Israel, our government is complicit in the bombing and starvation of millions.' Youth Demand, an offshoot of Just Stop Oil's youth wing, has been demanding that the UK government impose a full arms and trade embargo on Israel and immediately halt the development of new oil and gas projects. The group, which describes itself as leaderless but guided by a "strategy team", previously said politicians had committed a 'betrayal of our generation,' and warned of an 'unimaginable outbreak of collective power, creativity, love and defiance.' Youth Demand had vowed to 'shut down' London by swarming the capital's roads and holding demonstrations during a month-long period of action in April. The group held several protests across the month, briefly closing roads. At the end of April, two Youth Demand activists jumped the barriers at the London marathon and threw red powder paint in the air moments before the elite men's race ran over Tower Bridge.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump moves nuclear submarines closer to Russia after inflammatory remarks
Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane (ret.) joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss President Donald Trump's decision to move U.S. nuclear submarines closer to Russia following inflammatory remarks from a former Russian president.
CNN
12 minutes ago
- CNN
Redrawn Texas congressional map advances as Republicans look to seize control of multiple Democratic seats
A Texas House panel on Saturday advanced a new congressional map as state Republicans power ahead with a strategy backed by President Donald Trump to help the GOP maintain the US House majority in the 2026 midterms. The map, unveiled earlier this week, attempts to make five Democratic congressional seats more favorable to Republicans. Texas Republicans argue the move is necessary over concerns that the current maps are unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered. Democrats have said it would suppress the votes of people of color. The Texas House redistricting committee voted along party lines Saturday to approve the map, setting up a full House vote. National Democrats have already vowed to sue the state if the map is passed. In what one US House Democrat described to CNN as a 'redistricting arms race,' Democratic governors in states like California have warned they will attempt the same tactics to help their party win more seats. US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his political team are exploring similar plans in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Washington state in hopes of flipping at least a handful of Republican seats next November. Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win the House in the midterms. The new Texas map features 30 districts that Trump would have won in 2024 if the map was in place, up from 27 under the current district lines. In total, there are five more seats that Trump won by more than 10 percentage points, according to data from the Texas Legislative Council. The proposed map eliminates the Austin-area seat of Rep. Greg Casar, who would likely be forced into a primary with another liberal Democrat, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, in the Austin area. Multiple people close to Doggett have told CNN they do not expect him to bow out quietly and instead foresee the two battling it out in a primary. One of those people close to the senior House Democrat pointed out that he has $6.2 million cash on hand. In a statement this week, Doggett did not address the question of his future and said his 'sole focus' is defeating the new GOP map. Casar, for his part, vowed in a statement to 'fight back with everything we've got,' calling for voters to 'mobilize against this illegal map.' Republicans also propose merging the Houston-area seat of Rep. Al Green with a vacant seat held by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in office earlier this year. Green's district was altered more than any other sitting member in the plan. Democrats expect Green to run in the new seat, though he may have to battle it out with some of the Democrats who were already running for the Turner seat. The map would also make two southern Texas seats — held by Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez — more Republican-leaning. But multiple Democrats view the seats as still in reach for the two centrist members who typically performed ahead of statewide or national Democrats. Trump has not yet weighed in on the proposed Texas map. CNN's Sarah Ferris and Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
