“My daughter just graduated from a boarding school in New Hampshire. Thank G-d she’s out of there, with this morally depraved person serving as one of the state’s senators.”
That was the reaction from John Podhoretz, editor of the prominent Jewish magazine Commentary, responding to the latest attack on Israel’s efforts in Gaza from U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Shaheen’s anti-Israel comments are nothing new. In the past, she’s voted to ban weapons sales to the Jewish state, accused Israel (falsely) of “starving” the people of Gaza, and denounced President Donald Trump when he dropped out of the Iran Deal.
Shaheen’s anti-Israel stance even forced the Senate Democratic Caucus into an emergency meeting earlier this year.
On Wednesday, her latest attack on an Israel-backed attempt to keep humanitarian aid out of the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization sparked a backlash.
Shaheen is an unapologetic supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the organization that is supposed to help the people of Gaza with food aid, education services, etc. However, as has been repeatedly proven since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, UNRWA has evolved into a partner with Hamas, its staff riddled with members of the antisemitic terrorist group.
For example, Hamas’ commander in Lebanon turned out to be an UNRWA teacher who was eventually killed in an Israeli airstrike on Hamas targets. After a series of stories showing cooperation with Hamas, President Joe Biden cut off U.S. funding for the organization.
However, Shaheen believes the U.S. should still be working with UNRWA, and she has criticized the alternative aid delivery strategy, specifically the use of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
“I am gravely concerned by the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza where 76 percent of the civilian population are expected to face emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger by the end of September,” Shaheen wrote, “Instead of working through respected international aid organizations, the State Department approved $30 million for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in late June, ignoring its own vetting standards and waiving legal requirements to consult with Congress,” Shaheen said in a statement.
“Since the U.S. began supporting the GHF, more than 700 starving people have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured while desperately seeking food at GHF distribution sites. Dozens more people were killed and injured this weekend in both north and south Gaza trying to access food. These operations are proceeding with almost no oversight to ensure aid is being delivered to those in need and to prevent food from being resold, stolen, or diverted to Hamas.”
What Shaheen did not mention, critics say, is that the Gazans being killed and injured trying to get food from GHF distribution sites were attacked by Hamas, not the IDF.
Also not mentioned: The Washington Post’s report that, without access to the UN-provided aid, Hamas is going broke.
“The United States must return to proven humanitarian channels that uphold core international principles on neutrality,” Shaheen added, a reference to UNRWA. It’s the same request Hamas is making, according to the Post.
Supporters of Israel in its war with Hamas are angry over a steady stream of media stories that suggest IDF soldiers are attacking innocent Gazans waiting for food, only to be corrected or retracted when the facts emerge that Hamas is responsible for the violence.
Shaheen is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She is retiring in 2026.
“Sen. Shaheen is doing the Granite State a favor by retiring,” said Sam Markstein, communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“The people of New Hampshire deserve better representation than Sen. Shaheen, who attacks the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is working diligently—and succeeding—to give aid directly to the people of Gaza, bypassing the old, disastrous system of organizations that for years have knowingly had critical supplies looted, plundered, and resold at sky-high prices to civilians by Hamas, the profits from which are then used by Hamas to rearm and recruit more terrorists.
“While Republicans continue to lead on these issues strongly and decisively, Senate Democrats’ choice to elevate Senator Shaheen as Ranking Member on the Foreign Relations Committee tells you all you need to know about why Democrats are in the minority and out of power: outdated thinking, no solutions, and zero results.”
Shaheen has not responded to repeated requests for comment about her position on U.S. support for Israel.
