Supporters of Palestinian rights won a significant victory at last week’s meeting of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Here is how it happened:
The party’s Resolutions Committee debated two separate resolutions. While both called for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, one, submitted by young Democrats went further, condemning
Israeli actions in Gaza and calling for suspension of US arms sales to Israel and US recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In response, the party’s establishment submitted an alternative resolution with no such criticism of Israeli policies or US arms shipments to Israel.
There was intense lobbying for and against both efforts. Pro-Israel groups and some elected officials and party donors warned that passing the resolution critical of Israel would divide the Democratic Party, costing it contributions and midterm electoral victories.
On the other side, committee members each reported receiving upwards of 5,000 emails or phone calls urging them to vote for the resolution demanding an end to US weapons to Israel.
As expected, the establishment resolution won, and the young Democrats’ effort lost. But immediately after the vote, DNC chair Ken Martin spoke with Allison Minnerly, who had introduced the more critical resolution, and then rose to ask that, in the name of party unity, his resolution be withdrawn and not presented to the entire DNC for their acceptance.
He pledged to create a task force of stakeholders in this debate to continue this conversation and find solutions to bring back for the party’s consideration.
Some advocates on both sides were disappointed. On the pro-Israel side, Martin was derided for “surrendering to the far left”, while some supporters of Palestinian rights said that the handling of the issue would only delay Israel’s day of reckoning, cost more Palestinian lives, and further alienate young voters from the Democratic Party.
Both are wrong. Martin’s decision was politically thoughtful, and advocates for a change in US policy toward Israel won a significant victory.
Before explaining why, one important fact must be understood: The DNC is not a legislative body.
It doesn’t make policy. Policy is made by Congress and the White House. Even if the committee had passed a resolution calling for ending arms sales to Israel, nothing would have happened. What the party can do is reflect where
Democrats stand on critical issues and help to move forward the debate on these matters. This is exactly what the Minnerly resolution forced onto the agenda.
What also must be considered is that the debate over these resolutions was only the fourth time that any such debate has occurred in an official party gathering in the past four decades!
In 1984 and 1988, I was able to represent the Jesse Jackson campaign in introducing platform planks calling for Palestinian rights.
The issue wasn’t introduced again until 2016, when representing the Bernie Sanders campaign, we again brought forward a platform resolution on Palestine.
In those instances, we lost and no one in the party establishment cared to find a way to accommodate our concerns.
In fact, in the wake of the defeat of our 1988 resolution calling for “mutual recognition, territorial compromise, and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians”, I was asked to vacate my post on the DNC because I was told that the presence of a pro-Palestinian advocate would be a liability for the party!
This year’s outcome was different, because public opinion has dramatically changed. Polls show that Democrats are deeply offended by Israel’s actions.
They are far more sympathetic to Palestinians who want an end to US military and political support for Israel – often by margins of between seven or 10 to one.
As we approach the 2026 midterm elections, the issues of support for Palestinians and ending arms sales to Israel have become litmus tests for Democratic senators and members of Congress.
Given this, Martin’s decision to withdraw his resolution and create a task force to continue the conversation within the party signals recognition of the shifting tides within the party and the reality that the status quo has become unacceptable and untenable.
Supporters of Palestinian rights should understand that this was a victory and an important step forward in the long struggle for justice.
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