Sen. Jeff Merkley became the second senator to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war this week. And with recent polling showing that a majority of Americans support a cease-fire in Gaza, the pressure from constituents has been thick. Sen. Chris Coons was badgered on a train about why he hadn’t endorsed a cease-fire. Both have drawn attention to humanitarian concerns in Gaza in recent weeks but stopped short of calling for a cease-fire. “I and others defended Israel’s right to respond with a campaign targeted at destroying Hamas,” Merkley wrote .

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