House's Israel-packed week threatens Democratic unity

Among the legislation set to be considered this week:

• Bipartisan resolutions declaring a nuclear Iran is "not acceptable" and urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
• A bipartisan bill directing the State Department to review the school curriculum of the Palestinian Authority to screen for content endorsing "violence or intolerance toward other countries or ethnic groups."
• Bipartisan bills imposing new sanctions on Iran and terrorist groups including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• A GOP-led resolution condemning "the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations" on college campuses.
• Republicans' $14.3 billion emergency Israel security assistance package – which, to the chagrin of Democrats, offsets the military aid with cuts to IRS funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.
• A resolution to censure Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her history of anti-Zionist comments and her speech to a protest at the Capitol complex pressing for a ceasefire.

What we're watching: Several of these bills, despite having Democratic co-sponsors, are poised to split the party.

• The liberal group J Street is pressing House Democrats to vote against the nuclear Iran resolution, the Iran sanctions and the college antisemitism resolution, according to an email from the group obtained by Axios.

The House got a taste of what's to come when Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and André Carson (D-Ind.) traded barbs last week over a resolution affirming U.S. support for Israel and condemning Hamas.

• Gottheimer, a Jewish moderate who firmly supports Israel, called progressives who voted against the resolution "despicable" in a post on X.
• Carson, a Muslim progressive who voted against the measure, told CNN that Gottheimer is a "punk" and a "coward," adding: "We can handle it like gentleman or we can get into something else."

What we're hearing: Democratic aides and lawmakers told Axios that the upcoming votes are exacerbating tensions caused by the devolving situation in Israel.

• "Things could not possibly be any worse than they are right now," one House Democrat lamented.
• A top aide to another Democrat told Axios their office has been inundated with a "constant" battery of phone calls on the issue and that tensions are high on both sides of the Israel divide.

Zoom in: Adding to the tension are the continued demonstrations on Capitol Hill by pro-Palestinian activists.

• Just on Tuesday, roughly a dozen protesters were arrested at a Senate hearing on the Biden administration's request for aid to Israel and other security priorities, a Capitol Police spokesperson told Axios.

Democrats are expected to be relatively unified on at least the supplemental and the Tlaib censure, both of which Democratic leadership is whipping against, according to an email obtained by Axios.

• Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) is the only Democrat currently telegraphing plans to vote for the supplemental. He, like others, has criticized the IRS funding offset but said he doesn't want to fall into the "trap" of voting against Israel.
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) authorship of the censure resolution, which refers to last week's protest as an "insurrection," has turned off even moderates disgusted by Tlaib's recent comments.

The other side: The National Republican Congressional Committee, which has eagerly seized on House Democrats' infighting over Israel, is preparing to continue the barrage this week.

• "Democrats' anti-Israel food fight is escalating into a knife fight," said NRCC spokesperson Jack Pandol.
• "While Republicans unite to deliver aid to our ally, Democrats are tripping over themselves in a shameful display of victim-blaming and recriminations."