Katherine Clark backs off Gaza 'genocide' comments [View all]
Her statement comes after saying the genocide and destruction in Gaza needs to end
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/19/katherine-clark-israel-war-00514667
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said that she was not accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide in Gaza, despite saying at an event last week there was genocide and destruction in the war-torn strip.
Last week, while attending an event in my district, I repeated the word genocide in response to a question. I want to be clear that I am not accusing Israel of genocide, she said in the statement to POLITICO on Tuesday. We all need to work with urgency to bring the remaining hostages home, surge aid to Palestinians and oppose their involuntary relocation, remove Hamas from power, and end the war......
Though Democrats across the country have been critical of Israels ground offensive in Gaza, very few have called it a genocide. Clark is the second-highest ranking Democrat in the House and would have been one of the most senior members of the party to take that stance.
The war in Gaza has roiled the Democratic Party, as politicians and potential 2028 candidates grapple with how to talk about the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.