An anonymous Democratic congressman told Politico that anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian views could "grow and metastasize" throughout his party.
"Everyone just presumes" that members of the anti-Semitic "Squad" are "going to play to type and say what they're going to say," the congressman told Politico. "The key is making sure that it doesn't grow and metastasize."
"Squad" members Cori Bush (D., Mo.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) have blamed Israel for Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel. Bush in a Saturday statement following the attack said that she wants to cut off U.S. aid to Israel because of "Israeli military occupation and apartheid."
"The question is, a week from now or five days from now, what are we looking at when the [Israeli] counterassault begins in earnest?" the anonymous Democratic congressman asked.
Another anonymous House Democrat had similar concerns, saying that the "Progressive Caucus will get all ginned up" when the media start showing photos of "dead Palestinians" following Israel's counterattack against Hamas terrorists.
Both representatives told Politico they are concerned that President Joe Biden's support for Israel will dissipate as pro-Palestinian Democrats' criticism increases, a "political cycle" that happened following Hamas's 2021 rocket attack of Israel.
Democratic congressmen Ritchie Torres (N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) have both publicly lambasted Bush's and Tlaib's anti-Semitic comments, with Gottheimer saying in a statement to Jewish Insider that the "Squad" members' rhetoric "sickens" him.
"Two of my colleagues called for America to end assistance to Israel, despite the countless images of Israeli children, women, men, and elderly, including Americans, murdered by radical Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists," Gottheimer said. "It sickens me that while Israelis clean the blood of their family members shot in their homes, they believe Congress should strip U.S. funding to our democratic ally and allow innocent civilians to suffer."
The Biden administration is having its own problems with anti-Israel officials. The State Department in recent days deleted tweets that equated Israel and Hamas, one of which urged "all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks."
Biden on Monday ended his public schedule before noon, not mentioning the Americans killed by Hamas.