U.S. Rep. Summer Lee votes against resolution honoring U.S.-Israel relationship

The U.S. House passed a resolution last week honoring America’s relationship with Israel on the 75th anniversary of its independence, but U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, was part of a small group of representatives to vote against the bill.

House Resolution 311 passed with bipartisan support on a 401-19 vote. There were 18 Democrats who voted against the resolution, including Lee, as well as one Republican, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

The nonbinding resolution honored the U.S.-Israeli relationship and expressed support for expanding the Abraham Accords, a 2020 agreement establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

A version of the resolution is brought up for a vote every five years, but this year, Republicans did not include the usual reference to a two-state solution or peace with Palestinians.

Lee said in a statement that the omission was the main reason she voted against the bill. She represents Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Pittsburgh, eastern Allegheny County suburbs and the Mon Valley, as well as Westmoreland County communities including Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Sewickley Township, Jeannette and parts of Hempfield.

“The omission of a two-state solution, or even hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, is purposeful and changes long-standing bipartisan precedent to accommodate growing Republican abandonment of support for two states,” said Lee.

She added that the resolution differs from President Joe Biden’s policy of wanting to include Palestinians into the Abraham Accords. She said Biden has tried to improve on the accords and added that the United States should be working toward peace and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

“If we believe seriously in peace and a two-state solution, then we must evaluate whether any given legislative action gets us closer to those goals,” Lee said. “This resolution did not.”

The vast majority of Democrats who voted against the bill belong to the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Other Democrats to vote against the bill included U.S. Reps. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Mark DeSaulnier of California and Cori Bush of Missouri.

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, the region’s other Democratic House member, voted in favor of the resolution.

During her congressional race last year, Lee became the target of attack ads from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which advocates for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.

AIPAC spent more than $4 million on ads targeting Lee, either claiming she was not supportive enough of Biden during her primary race or that she was a radical during her general election campaign. The attack ads never mentioned any of her opinions regarding Israel or Palestine.

Lee narrowly prevailed in her Democratic primary race and easily defeated her Republican opponent in 2022.

A Republican who has announced he will run in Lee’s congressional district in 2024, business executive James Hayes, criticized Lee’s opposition to the resolution. He called himself the pro-Israel, pro-democracy candidate and said Lee’s vote coming during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial sends a “frightening message.”

“I know that religious values and freedom from bigotry are vital to any functioning democracy,” Hayes said. “To abandon the world’s Jews in the face of mounting antisemitism is troubling.”

Lee represents all of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which is home to the region’s largest concentration of Jewish residents. Lee met with families of the Tree of Life victims in February and has advocated for millions of dollars in congressional earmarks to go to mental health services for Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and education programs to combat antisemitism.