On Tuesday former lobbyist and prosecutor Glenn Ivey defeated ex-congresswoman Donna Edwards in the Democratic primary of Maryland’s 4th district. Ivey was up by nearly 20 points when the Associated Press called the race. Ivey is expected to easily prevail in the general election.
The primary drew the attention of pro-Israel groups and was perceived by many as a proxy battle over the issue within the Democratic Party. American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) Super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), spent almost $6 million in ads promoting Ivey or attacking Edwards. None of these ads mentioned Israel. Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) spent over $426,000 supporting Ivey. The liberal Zionist group J Street backed Edwards but spent less than $1 million.
“United Democracy Project congratulates Glenn Ivey on his significant primary victory..”, tweeted the Super PAC after his win. “Ivey is committed to advancing the U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress and his win sends a clear message that when given a choice, Democratic voters choose the pro-Israel candidate.”
Edwards, who represented the 4th district from 2008 to 2017, isn’t exactly a consistent defender of Palestine but she drew the ire of pro-Israel lobbying groups over a number of House votes. She voted “present” on a resolution “recognizing Israel’s “right to defend itself” and “present” on a bill to enhance security cooperation between Israel and the United States. Ivey, who unsuccessfully ran for the congressional seat on two previous occasions has consistently expressed unfettered support for Israel. He’s a critic of the Iran nuclear deal and opposes Israel’s military aid being conditioned in any way. In a 2021 interview with Jewish Insider he attacked the BDS movement. “I get why people are doing it, and I hear what they’re saying, but I just don’t think it’s the right approach,” he said. “I do kind of wonder about their motives, to say the least. I’ll leave it at that.”
Ivey wasn’t the only pro-Israel Democrat to win on Tuesday. Incumbent Rep. David Trone scored a a massive victory in the state’s 6th district primary, while Rep. Steny Hoyer easily prevailed in the 5th.
AIPAC has faced increasing criticism from Democrats over its support for a number of Republicans who refused to certify the presidential election results, while the organization has consistently defended its vast spending across party lines. “We’re exercising our democratic first amendment rights in participating in these elections,” UDP spokesman Patrick Dorton told The Guardian this week. “In part UDP was formed because there were an increasing number of candidates with radical anti-Israel views running for Congress. Our view is that is dangerous for American democracy and could negatively impact the the bipartisan support for the US-Israel relationship.”
The group’s involvement in the race was heavily criticized by some on Twitter. “Of course Donna Edwards lost yesterday in Maryland,” tweeted Jewish Currents Editor-At-Large Peter Beinart. “Groups dedicated to unconditional US support for Israel–no matter how many homes it demolishes + children it jails–spent over $6 million. For progressives, this constitutes an existential threat.”
The morning after Ivey’s victory, Israeli Prime Minister tweeted a picture of himself posing with AIPAC President Betsy Korn and CEO Howard Kohr. “Strengthening bipartisan support for that alliance is a top priority,” tweeted Lapid.
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Meanwhile in Canada:
On July 11, 2022, the Palestinian Canadian Congress (PCC) filed a claim with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (“HRTO”) alleging that Doug Ford’s Ministry of Education and two Ontario school boards discriminated against Palestinian students and the broader Palestinian community on the grounds of race when it suppressed a student video which spoke to the everyday hardship of Palestinians living under military occupation.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more of this type of anti-Palestinian racism in the functioning of Ontario’s schools,” said Congress vice-president James Kafieh. “When you suppress a video about Palestinian life under occupation, you are sending a very clear message to Palestinian students and their parents – you are saying that they do not matter. We need an action plan to eliminate this racism once and for all,” he said.
“In or around July 2020, the parent of a student who was taking the Grade 10 Civics and Citizenship online summer school course complained to the York Region District School Board (YRDSB), as well as a number of pro-Israel advocacy organizations, about the content of a student video which she felt was “spreading falsehoods to impressionable teens” regarding the Israel/Palestine issue.
“The main points the Palestinian student raised in the video about Israel-Palestine were:
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“On July 21, 2020, YRDSB staff sent an email to the Ministry of Education regarding the use of the video. By the end of the day, July 22, 2020, the Ministry and the YRDSB had identified and removed it, citing anti-Semitic content.
“Lawyers with the newly formed Legal Centre for Palestine (“LCP”) are assisting PCC with its application to the HRTO. ‘We felt this application was important given the rising tide of anti-Palestinian racism in schools right across the country,’ said Stephen Ellis. ‘The government and its friends in the Israel lobby have to understand that Palestinians will no longer tolerate this racism and that a remedy exists for the suppression of this video under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Apartheid Israel should not be directing the Ontario curriculum.’”
All Donna Edwards had to do in order to still be in Congress was to vote differently on like 2 or 3 votes on issues that have nothing to do with any domestic progressive agenda in the US. This is a teachable moment for other Congresspeople and people that want to be in Congress. There might be some obnoxious people stomping their feet and screeching their hatred for Israel. They represent pretty much no one. On the other hand if you join the screeching you will find yourself facing an organized opposition that will support your opponent to the hilt. You will find yourself outmatched and outgunned really quickly. You might still win, but you are just making your life much more difficult. I think we can expect politicians to make the rational choice.