Chris Coons is a longtime supporter of Israel and could be months away from taking over as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But if his Democratic colleagues win the midterm elections, Coons wants a “thorough review” of US-Israeli relations – and is even open to imposing sanctions on the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Delaware senator’s evolution matches that of other moderate Democrats in the three years since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack triggered a military response that Israel’s critics have called a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
And like the rest of his group, Coons faces potentially difficult decisions after November, especially if the new Congress includes a wave of progressives pushing for a complete halt to arms shipments to Israel.
In an interview with POLITICO, Coons detailed his views on NetanyahuIsraeli settlements and how he became open to conversations he once closed off.
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