US Rep. Underwood pressed on Israel, redistricting at DeKalb town hall

Questions about redistricting dominated a DeKalb County town hall, put on by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, on Saturday in DeKalb.

Underwood spoke before a crowd gathered in an auditorium at DeKalb High School, the final stop on her summer town hall series.

One attendee asked how to get the message out that congressional redistricting has been fair.

The question was raised at the town hall as President Donald Trump has come under fire for directing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw congressional maps in Texas.

In response, other governors are looking to follow suit. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward a ballot question that, if passed, would allow for new maps.

Underwood expressed skepticism about where changes to the system lead.

“We’ve heard Gov. Pritzker say that Illinois is willing to do whatever it takes,” Underwood said. “I have not heard anything specific about any changes coming to our state, including to our community. But either way, I encourage everyone to vote in every election. Because in this country, no matter how much they try to rig the system, we the people ... have power.”

Underwood said she is all for protecting voters and their rights.

“Politicians should not be picking their voters as a policy matter, and I think that that’s wrong,” Underwood said. “The gamesmanship, the gerrymandering across the board, I think, is wrong.”

One of the more contentious topics addressed at the town hall was Underwood’s stance on supporting Israel.

When asked if the conflict between Israel and Hamas is considered a genocide by legal definition, Underwood fell short of declaring it as such.

“I’m not sure about that legal definition of genocide, but what I can tell you, what’s happening right now is immoral. It’s unacceptable. It’s wrong. I think that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, is completely culpable in what’s happening.”

Underwood said she doesn’t feel it’s productive to debate legal definitions.

“I think that debates around terms allow people to fixate on those terms and therefore avoid solutions,” Underwood said. “I believe that we have an opportunity now to leap forward in terms of progress for the Palestinian people. It is my hope that the policy of the United States is one that embraces that opportunity as we move forward.”

Isreal’s war with Hamas was sparked in October 2023 by a Hamas militant group’s attack on Israel, according to the Associated Press.