During the past hours, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, caused an uproar among Americans on social media, especially after she indicated that some of the protests taking place in the United States to demand a ceasefire in Gaza may be linked to Russia, demanding that the FBI That is, an investigation into the financing of these demonstrations.

Pelosi said, yesterday evening, Sunday, in an interview on CNN: “We must try to stop the suffering in Gaza, but the calls for a ceasefire by some demonstrations are a message from Putin,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. She added: “Do not be fooled, this is directly related to his ambitions.”

"Linked to Russia"

She also added, "I think that some of these protesters are spontaneous and sincere, but some of them have a connection to Russia, so some aspects of the financing must be investigated, and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that."

These are the first statements in which a prominent American politician publicly accuses Putin of supporting American demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Pelosi, who was first elected Speaker of the House in 2007, and again in 2019, led Democrats in the House of Representatives for 20 years before she is stepping aside in favor of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader. However, she still has significant influence among Democrats in Congress, the New York Times reported.

In a later statement, a Pelosi spokesperson pointed to a social media post by Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and professor at Columbia University, who wrote that “Putin is profiting from the ongoing war in Gaza and the expanding chaos in the Middle East.”

The spokesman said Pelosi would continue to focus on "stopping the suffering in Gaza" and demanding the release of all hostages.

"Interference by foreign adversaries"

He also noted that the Speaker of the House of Representatives has always supported and defended the right of all Americans to express their opinions through peaceful protest, but at the same time she is aware of how foreign adversaries interfere in American politics to sow division and influence our elections, and she wants to see further investigation before Elections in 2024.

The United States has recently witnessed the organization of protests to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, some of which were organized near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, in addition to protests outside the White House and marches in Washington.

Democrats are deeply divided over policy toward Israel since Hamas killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 others during its attack on October 7. The Israeli military response led to the deaths of more than 26,000 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Division poses a challenge

A New York Times poll conducted in collaboration with Siena College showed that voters broadly disapprove of Biden's handling of the conflict, with almost as many Americans saying they want the Israeli military campaign to stop as those who say it should continue.

It is noteworthy that this division posed a severe challenge to Biden as he seeks re-election and tries to form a Democratic coalition that will elect him to the White House in 2020.

Many countries have called for a ceasefire, with 153 countries in the UN General Assembly voting in favor of an immediate ceasefire in December. The International Court of Justice on Friday called on Israel to take action to prevent genocide in Gaza.