Democrats unite against Sydney terror — but Fetterman warns party’s anti-Israel rift boiling over

Democratic leaders condemn the Hanukkah attack in Australia while Sen. John Fetterman warns of party divisions over Israel-Hamas conflict affecting unity.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."

But Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, a fierce supporter of Israel, warned of consequences for his party's discord over the more than two years of fighting between the Jewish state and Hamas in Gaza. The senator criticized fellow Democrats for embracing what he called openly hostile, anti-Israel rhetoric that he said is now "becoming more and more part of my party’s platform."

Fetterman's comments come as the attack is likely to intensify pressure on the party, which is already facing internal fractures over the Israel–Hamas conflict that could define its 2026 electoral messaging.