NH delegation split over blocking weapons transfers to Israel

MANCHESTER, N.H. —

The New Hampshire congressional delegation is divided over weapons transfers to Israel for its ongoing war in Gaza.

A recent vote is putting U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas at odds with the senator he is campaigning to succeed.

“The reports of starvation, of folks going hungry in Gaza, it’s just intolerable, and we have to do something about it,” Pappas said in an interview for “CloseUp.”

Pappas voiced frustration with Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza but said he will not join U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, in an attempt to block U.S. arms transfers to Israel.

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Most of the Democrats in the Senate voted in favor of resolutions to halt those weapons sales. Shaheen supported the resolutions, while fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan voted no.

“Right now, I believe that we need to see a ceasefire develop, and so this is not something that would have effectuated that conversation either way,” Pappas said. “I would have opposed these resolutions because I believe that we should be holding Hamas to account and realizing a future for the Palestinian people.”

Pappas is navigating between support for a crucial American ally and a party base expressing moral outrage over civilians starving and being killed in Gaza.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, is leading an effort in the House to recognize a Palestinian state.

“That has been offered to the Palestinian Authority in the past. They’ve rejected it,” Pappas said. “So, I think it’s really important to think about what comes next. Once this war ends, what’s the future like? And I believe that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and a state. I support a two-state solution where a Palestinian state can exist peacefully alongside Israel, but they have to recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish democratic homeland.”

While Pappas is unopposed in his U.S. Senate primary, analysts said the issue presents a challenge for elected Democrats.

“The base is increasingly vocal,” said Dean Spiliotes, of Southern New Hampshire University. “A lot of those folks are very active politically, and so it’s a delicate balancing act.”