The US House of Representatives vote on an amendment to strip $3.3 billion in annual military aid to Israel has laid bare a deep fracture within the Democratic Party. The amendment, proposed by Republican Thomas Massie, was defeated 314 to 104, but 103 Democrats voted in favour, 98 opposed, and 10 voted present, according to the official roll call. The near-even split marks a sharp departure from past votes, when only a handful of Democrats opposed such assistance.

From Washington, progressive lawmakers framed the result as a reflection of shifting voter sentiment. Representative Greg Casar, chair of the House Progressive Caucus, noted that two years ago only 37 Democrats voted against sending billions to the Israeli military, calling the latest tally “a new beginning.” Representative Ilhan Omar said colleagues had “finally decided to lead with their morals.” Veteran pro-Israel Democrat Steny Hoyer countered that the amendment would “embolden the enemies of peace.” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar acknowledged that the actions of the Israeli prime minister had made it harder to sustain bipartisan support for the US-Israel relationship.

In Israel, the political landscape is also in flux. The left-wing Democrats party, formed from a merger of Labor and Meretz, held its primary on Monday, with more than 112,000 members voting digitally. Party chairman Yair Golan, a former deputy chief of staff, secured the top spot, followed by incumbent lawmakers Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, and Efrat Rayten. The party, which is the only non-Arab faction to explicitly back a two-state solution, is polling at 9 to 11 seats in the 120-member Knesset, according to Israeli media. Separately, a new centrist party, Yashar, led by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, has edged ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in some polls, with 24 seats to Likud’s 23, according to the public broadcaster Kan. Eisenkot has pledged to repair strained ties with Washington and European capitals.

The US vote and the Israeli primary both unfold against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and its regional repercussions. Swedish political scientist Isabell Schierenbeck, recently returned from Israel, told TV4 that two issues dominate the Israeli campaign: the ongoing conflicts and the state’s international standing, with deep concern over the risk of being treated as a “pariah state.” The exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service remains a divisive issue, even within Netanyahu’s own Likud party, according to Israeli analysts. Opposition figures, including Naftali Bennett and Eisenkot, have signalled they would seek to restore relations with the US and Europe. The Israeli parliamentary election is set for 27 October, while in Washington, the aid debate is expected to continue as part of broader State Department funding legislation.