Even though the bottom has fallen out of Democrats’ support for Israel, some party members can’t bring themselves to recognise this reality.
While support for Israeli policies has been declining for more than a decade, the war on Gaza has resulted in a sea change in opinion.
In a recent Gallup poll, only eight per cent of Democrats approved of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
When a recent Quinnipiac poll asked Americans whether their sympathies were more with Israelis or Palestinians, only 12pc of Democrats said Israel, while 60pc said Palestinians.
And when The Economist magazine asked voters how they feel about several issues related to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the results among Democrats or those who lean towards Democrats were staggering:
• Asked whether Israel was justified in attacking Gaza in response to the threat from Hamas, only 13pc said yes, while 67pc said no.
• Asked about military aid to Israel, 61pc of Democratic voters or those who lean Democratic responded that they want to reduce or eliminate such aid, while only 25pc favour increasing or maintaining current levels of military aid to Israel.
• 68pc agreed that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, only 8pc disagreed.
• 72pc agreed it’s right to call for a Palestinian state, with only 5pc opposing.
This change in Democrats’ attitudes towards Israel and its policies has translated into Congressional action.
Last month, 27 of the 47 Democrats in the US Senate voted to block sending US military equipment to Israel.
A companion bill in the House of Representatives calling for withholding US offensive weapons to Israel now has 35 Democratic co-sponsors.
Additionally, several Democratic State Party conventions and the national Young Democrats of America have passed similar resolutions.
Given these developments it shouldn’t have been surprising that a newly-elected Democratic National Committee member introduced a “Gaza Resolution” calling on the national party to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, suspension of military aid to Israel, and for members of Congress to recognise Palestine as a nation-state.
The resolution concludes by urging the party to “affirm its commitment to international law, human rights for all people, an immediate … delivery of … humanitarian-focused, life-saving food and medical care in Gaza, and the pursuit a just and lasting peace for all in the region”.
Also unsurprising is how pro-Israel groups and some Democratic leaders have responded. For example, the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) – which may need a name-change to the Democratic Minority for Israel – issued a strongly worded statement saying they were “deeply troubled by the introduction of a flawed, irresponsible resolution at a Democratic National Committee meeting that will further sow division within our party and do nothing to help bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war nor end the suffering on both sides”.
With polls showing that by margins of 10-to-1 or more Democrats support the positions taken in the “Gaza Resolution”, it’s patently false to suggest that the resolution will “sow division”.
More accurately, defeating the resolution will create division.
And when it comes to sowing division, in the last two elections DMFI teamed up with other pro-Israel PACs to spend tens of millions of dollars to defeat Democratic members of Congress deemed insufficiently pro-Israel.
Disappointingly, party leaders, in an effort to defeat the “Gaza Resolution”, have introduced a resolution of their own as a “substitute.”
While their alternative focuses heavily on humanitarian aid, most of its prescriptive language would have been seen as somewhat constructive and even positive five years ago.
But in the face of Israel’s massive destruction of Palestinian homes, hospitals, universities, places of worship, and infrastructure in Gaza, the “substitute” is no substitute at all.
It ignores Israel’s responsibility for (and US culpability in) the ongoing genocide. And it’s out of step with the opinions of the overwhelming majority of Democratic voters.
It’s unclear how this will play out when the party meets next week to discuss and vote on resolutions.
Efforts are being made to bring the two sides together. But the young Democratic supporters of the “Gaza Resolution”, while open to some modification of their effort, are determined that the issue of Gaza be debated.
They are right to do so.
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