Bernie Sanders and six other progressive Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush and Nydia Velazquez, decided not to attend Israel President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress.

This happened just after the House passed a Republican resolution which was seen as a move to cause division among Democrats. The resolution, which was drafted to declare Israel “not racist,” was put into place days after Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal referred to Israel as a “racist state.”

The boycotting lawmakers cited political reasons for their absence, with many of them criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Other progressive lawmakers were also absent, but they said it was due to scheduling issues.

This situation shows how Israel is becoming a more divisive issue issue in U.S. politics, with Republicans using it as a way to attack and divide Democrats.

Read more at Haaretz.com