Several House Democrats have withdrawn their support for legislation condemning sexual violence, claiming they were unaware the measure was amended to include controversial language on Israel.
But an email obtained by The Hill shows the lawmakers were notified of changes and offered an opportunity to remove their names two weeks before the bill was introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).
The intraparty drama lays bare the complicated conversations around sexual violence in the war between Israel and Hamas, which has influenced policy discussions on U.S. support for Israel.
“After circulating the resolution, a few changes were made to the text to incorporate new feedback. An email was sent to all co-sponsoring offices highlighting the changes and they were given two weeks to remove their name prior to introduction,” Michaela Johnson, a spokesperson for Dingell, told The Hill.
Dingell introduced the resolution March 8 with 21 cosponsors, all Democrats. Since March 19, seven of the bill’s original cosponsors have removed themselves from the bill.
In the email, dated Feb. 23, Dingell chief of staff Meg Makarewicz noted changes to lines referencing Palestinian women “to better contextualize the historical risks they faced, and how this has been compounded by the conflict in the Middle East.”
The final text of the resolution argues that “high levels of poverty, instability, and deteriorating living conditions in Gaza” as a result of “decades of conflict with Israel”have “increased the risk of violence for Palestinian women and girls.” Those risks, the resolution argues, have been compounded since conflict erupted after Hamas killed 1,200 civilians in Israel and kidnapped another 240 people on Oct. 7.
Lawmakers who withdrew from resolution opposed the inclusion of reported harassment Palestinian women have faced at checkpoints and in custody, as well as back-to-back but unrelated references to Israel’s war on Hamas and a United Nations (UN) Population Fund report that found 59 percent of Palestinian women have faced some form of gender-based violence.
A spokesperson for Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), who withdrew his support last Tuesday, told The Hill that the congressman “did not affirmatively consent to remaining on the updated resolution after the language was changed.”
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said he removed his name because the amended language added “unsubstantiated claims that created a false equivalency between Israel and Hamas.”
“As confirmed by the United Nations, sexual violence has most recently been used in horrific ways by Hamas on October 7 and subsequently on hostages held in their captivity. On the other hand, there have been no confirmed reports of Israel using sexual violence as a weapon of war,” Goldman said in a statement.
Reps. Goldman, Levin, Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) — all original co-sponsors of the resolution — have withdrawn their support since March 19.
The Hill has requested comment from each of the resolution’s former co-sponsors. A spokesperson for Schiff declined to comment on the record.
Dingell’s resolution broadly condemns violence against women as a “global crisis” and states “horrific” acts of rape, sexual violence and gender-based violence are “especially heinous when weaponized during conflicts.”
It also references a report from Physicians for Human Rights Israel that found “systemic and intentional” use of rape by Hamas attackers on Oct. 7, along with other allegations of sexual violence against women used in conflicts in countries including Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar.
“I stand by my condemnation of sexual violence as a weapon of war around the world and look forward to supporting an accurate resolution addressing this deplorable practice,” Goldman said.
Johnson, Dingell’s spokesperson, told The Hill that the congresswoman “understands the seriousness and strong feelings members have regarding the subject of the resolution.”
Dingell’s own constituents have strong feelings about how the U.S. government is handling Israel’s war on Hamas and the ongoing civilian casualties in Gaza, which have climbed to nearly 32,000 Palestinians killed and 74,000 injured since Oct. 7, according to UN estimates.
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Read More: Israel politics trigger Democrats to withdraw support from sexual violence bill