Vindman, Nixon weigh in on congressional vote to ban funding for Israel

U.S. support for Israel has become a flashpoint in Democratic politics this summer.

That was never more apparent than last week in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. House of Representatives voted on an amendment filed by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie that would have stripped $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel.

While that proposal was voted down, the headline coming out of that vote was that 103 Democrats supported the measure, including Central Florida U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost. The other six Florida Democratic House members — Kathy Castor, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto, and Frederica Wilson — joined every Florida Republican in opposing the measure.

Democrats who supported the proposal said they did so to show opposition to the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank and Lebanon. The two-year war in Gaza, which began after the terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, resulted in the loss of more than 71,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 Israelis.

The Phoenix reached out to the two Democrats competing for the nomination for U.S. Senate, retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman and Jacksonville state Rep. Angie Nixon, to ask how they would have voted.

Vindman, born to Jewish parents in Soviet Ukraine before immigrating to the United States with his family as a four-year-old, did not give a direct answer. He instead gave his view on the long Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“My record is pretty clear on this that nobody gets a free pass,” Vindman told reporters Saturday afternoon during the Florida Democratic Party’s Leadership Blue conference at Disney.

“I’m absolutely committed to a two-state solution. I am very much concerned about a policy that undermines a two-way solution that includes this idea of settlers infringing on the viability of a state. I’ve been consistently critical of a Netanyahu administration that has undermined a two-state solution.”

He continued: “I think that this war has gone on too long and, frankly, a war that should have wound down a long time ago. But I’m also committed to the security of the state of Israel as a generational partner of the U.S. A country that advances U.S. interests in the region. So, I think that you can do both of those things. Actually, those are reasonable positions to have — to condemn where there are failings and to recognize where there is a U.S. interest. I think that’s what we need.”

Nixon recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America and hasn’t been shy about how she would have voted.

“I would have voted in support of that, because we cannot continue to send money to countries that are violating international law, that are violating human rights, that are actively destroying,” she told a Phoenix reporter on WMNF Radio in Tampa Friday. “Throughout my adult career, I have fought for the safety and the well-being and the humanity of all people. And me stating this does not make me antisemitic at all.”

A month following the Hamas attack, Nixon sponsored a resolution in a special legislative session calling for a cease-fire. To say it was not received well would be an understatement. The proposal was met with intense hostility not just from Republicans but from many of her fellow Democrats. Ultimately, only one other member, Democrat Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando, voted with Nixon to support the proposal. During the debate, she was called antisemitic and evil.

“That was a very hard moment for me,” Nixon recounted. “I received death threats. People were upset. I felt very lonely for me. Only one person voted in support of that resolution. It was tough but, as I said earlier, I will always and continue to advocate for the safety and well-being and humanity of all people, and Palestinians were losing their lives at record high rates. And to have people turn their back on me. To be called a terrorist on the House floor. Ignorant. Antisemitic. That was very hurtful. But I will always fight to stand on the right side of history, and I believe that I was on the right side of history then just like I’m on the right side of history now.”

Americans’ sympathies regarding the conflict in the Middle East has changed dramatically during the past year. Gallup reported in late February that 41% of Americans now say they sympathize more with the Palestinians, while 36% sympathize more with the Israelis. That contrasts with a clear lead for Israelis from just a year ago, when 46% of Americans said they sympathized more with Israelis and 33% for the Palestinians.

Among Democrats, the numbers are even more dramatic. A nationwide New York Times/Sienna poll of Democrats published in May showed 60% sympathized more with the Palestinians, while just 15% sympathized with Israel.

Noting those numbers, Nixon says in looking back on that incident in November 2023, “I was on the right side of history. I was a little bit before everyone else, but I’m happy that I stood up when I did.”

Vindman, who served as director for European Affairs for the National Security Council from 2018 to 2020, said when it comes to the Middle East, “we don’t need simple black-and-white calls.”

“We need somebody who has the experience and the judgement to call balls and strikes, regardless of the circumstances.”