US legislator critical of Israel’s genocide war on Gaza loses primary

Washington (Quds News Network)- Progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush has lost the Democratic Party’s primary contest in the state of Missouri, after a pro-Israel lobby spent $8.5m to remove her over her criticism of Israel’s genocide war on Gaza.
Bush was seeking a third term in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes St. Louis city and part of St. Louis County.
With nearly all ballots counted from Tuesday’s vote, Bush won 45.8 percent while her rival, St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, won 51 percent, according to the AP.
Bell’s campaign received a big boost from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose super political action committee, United Democracy Project (UDP), spent $8.5 million to oust Bush.
In June, the Super PAC also spent $15m to defeat another progressive congressman, Jamaal Bowman. Bowman lost to George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist.
A statement from the UDP said the wins by Bell and Latimer, along with John McGuire’s defeat of U.S. Rep. Bob Good in a Republican primary last week in Virginia, “is further proof that being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics on both sides of the aisle. UDP will continue our efforts to support leaders working to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance while countering detractors in either political party.”
One of the biggest points of divergence between Bush and Bell is their stance on Israel.
Bush, a member of the progressive “squad” in Congress, has been vocal in her opposition to Israel’s military offensive, which has claimed more than 39,600 Palestinian lives.
Bush, in her concession speech, said she won’t change.
“We will keep supporting a free Palestine,” Bush said. A crowd member answered back: “Free, free Palestine.”
In October, Bush called the Israeli war on Gaza an “ethnic cleansing campaign.” She also wrote on social media that Israel’s “collective punishment against Palestinians for Hamas’s actions is a war crime.”
She maintains that the primary challenge she faces is part of a larger effort to silence critics of Israel.
“This is only the beginning,” Bush told the AP in an interview published last week. “Because if they can unseat me, then they’re going to continue to come after more Democrats.”
Bell, by contrast, has said the US must continue to support its ally Israel, while working towards a “peaceful resolution”.