Last week, candidates vying to replace retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in her longtime House seat held their first debate.
The most memorable moment of the evening occurred during the lightning round at the end of the debate, where candidates had to hold up signs displaying either “yes” or “no” in response to a series of questions.
When asked whether Israel was committing a genocide in Gaza, tech engineer Saikat Chakrabarti and Supervisor Connie Chan both held up their “yes” signs, while State Senator Scott Wiener held up neither sign, prompting members of the audience to boo.
After the event, Wiener told reporters that the “yes or no” format prevented him from discussing the nuances of the issue, but the image of Wiener fidgeting with his sign amid boos quickly went viral.
Within a matter of days, Wiener put out a statement changing his position on the issue.
“For years, I’ve condemned Netanyahu and his extremist government and the devastation they’ve inflicted on Gaza,” he explained in a tweet. “It’s why I’ve been clear I won’t support U.S. funding for the destruction of Palestinian communities. I’ve stopped short of calling it genocide, but I can’t anymore.”
It’s obviously impossible to take Wiener’s change of heart seriously, as the statement clearly comes in response to the backlash.
As local activists have pointed out, Wiener’s support for Israel isn’t restricted to denying the genocide. He opposed San Francisco’s ceasefire resolution and backed AB 715, which censors pro-Palestine speech.
However, the move does signal which way the wind is blowing in a district that’s been presided over by the pro-Israel Pelosi for decades.
“We’ve Forced a Consensus on the Gaza Genocide — On Senator Scott Wiener & the CA-11 race,” posted the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) in a statement. “This week has shown that the political tides around Palestine are shifting rapidly, and it is critical for our movement to continue our advance.”
Similarly, we have seen incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) pressed over the issue of genocide in New York’s 10th district.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Goldman was recently asked whether Israel was committing genocide at an event to kick off his campaign.
“We just don’t know enough,” said Goldman. “From my perspective, I think there were some horrific things done in Gaza. What you call it is more of a legal matter, in my view.”
Goldman is being challenged by former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander in the district’s Democratic primary.
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat running in a competitive race for the state’s open Senate seat, recently said the question of whether to call Israeli actions in Gaza ‘genocide’ has become a “political purity test” in the Democratic Party. Notably, McMorrow, who is running against Israel lobby stalwart Haley Stevens, has has answered the question as, “yes.”
AIPAC and the GOP
While rejecting AIPAC money has become a more popular move among Democratic candidates, we haven’t seen the strategy adopted by many Republicans running for office.
This makes sense, as Republicans remain the only U.S. voters seemingly committed to Israel. However, polling indicates that young conservatives are critical of the country.
On that note, we are following the candidacy of Niki Conforti, who is running for the nomination in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District. Conforti describes herself as an “America First” Republican, representing a flank of the party that has grown skeptical of the U.S./Israel relationship.
“I’m not somebody who can be bought. I’ve made the commitment that I won’t take AIPAC money,” Conforti told Arab News. “First and foremost, I have to take care of the people of my district.”
“I think we’ve given a lot of money to fund foreign wars,” she added. “We need to turn that money internally to address mental health issues, to help the homeless, to help veterans, to lower crime. We have so many issues here at home where that money can be better spent.”
There’s an interesting angle in this race.
Democratic incumbent Sean Casten (D-IL) has received over $300,000 from the pro-Israel lobbying group, and he’s faced backlash from the local Arab-American community for failing to take a strong stand against the genocide in Gaza.
Some of that discontent is documented in the aforementioned Arab News article.
“Congressman Casten hasn’t seen fit to attend any of our events,” says American Arab Chamber of Commerce President Hassan Nijem. “It’s clear Casten isn’t interested in our views or our concerns, even though we’re a major constituency in the 6th Congressional District.”
“Casten has been unresponsive to our community. He embraces a double standard, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from AIPAC,” says Arab American Democracy Coalition founder Samir Khalil. “He has sat back while our tax dollars have been used to fund Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the total destruction of homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, mosques, and churches.”
Casten’s opponent in the Democratic primary, 27-year-old Joseph Ruzevich, has also declared he won’t accept AIPAC money.
Odds & Ends
🇮🇱 From Palestine to Minneapolis, ICE and Israel use the same violent playbook
💰 Netanyahu says he wants to end U.S. military aid to Israel in the next 10 years
🚫 Israeli ban on 37 aid organizations expected to have devastating impacts across Palestine
🇻🇪 What the U.S. attack on Venezuela means for the Middle East
🇮🇷 Trump threatens another military attacks on Iran
📝 The Guardian: Dozens of artists call for end to Israel’s ‘systematic attacks’ on Gaza hospitals
🇺🇸 Responsible Statecraft: Trump designates 3 branches of Muslim Brotherhood as terror groups
📰 Counterpunch: The New York Times Support for Israel Never Ends
📺 Electronic Intifada: Media obscure BDS push for freedom and equal rights
👀 Jewish Insider: Trump, Netanyahu at odds over Israeli plans to end reliance on U.S. military aid
🗺️ The Nation: The “Donroe” Doctrine Is Dangerous
🪖 Common Dreams: Son of Last Iranian Shah Asks Trump to Back Military Coup as Protests Rage
🍉 NPR: Trump promised a Gaza endgame. Palestinians say they are still living the war
⚖️ Palestine Legal: Civil Rights Groups Warn Against NY Gov. Hochul’s Anti-Palestinian “Buffer Zone” Proposal to Ban Constitutionally-Protected Protests
🤝 Drop Site News: How the U.S. and Israel Are Trying to Co-opt Iran’s Protests
A Reagan appointed Judge in Boston has stated during a Court hearing that Cabinet Secretaries Noem and Rubio have blantantly violated the 1st Amendment Rights of Palestinian and others for protesting against Israel by arresting, imprisoning, attempting to deport, or otherwise persecute them.
See: Trump SLAMMED by GOP Judge Declaring “UNCONSTITUTIONAL CONSPIRACY” – YouTube
I’ve called attention to the roots of that conspiracy here in the past. The US State Department published a classified memo about the details in 1947. In paragraph 6. the government observed that in many instances it would no longer be able to provide uniform treatment, regardless of race or religion, to both Jewish and non-Jewish persons living here in the USA, or in other countries if the UNSCOP plan was implemented and a racist, theocratic Jewist State established in Palestine. It understood that violated rights in the UN Charter and US Constitution. In a footnote the State Department agreed to carry out unlawful orders if the President requested it. The Immigration Act of 1952 empowered the Secretary of State to deport immigrants by simply claiming they were a threat to national security.
Another addition to Odds & Ends:
Raphael Lemkin was the Polish Jew who coined the term ‘genocide’. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention posted this essay a few days ago:
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention condemns the persistent efforts by several high-profile German civil society organizations to deny the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to disseminate disinformation and denialist narratives among German political decision-makers….While the historical responsibility to ensure safety for Jews after the Holocaust is widely acknowledged in Germany, it has been abused in the past few years to justify unconditional support for an ongoing genocide….Since the escalation of Israel’s military occupation into the mass murder form of genocide, the German media landscape has been carefully crafted to convince the German public and its political leaders of Israel’s compliance with international law. Germany’s largest media outlets have abandoned their journalistic responsibilities, threatening critical voices and effectively becoming the Israeli government’s most loyal mouthpiece….A discourse in which genocide denial has become normalized and strategically deployed not only violates international law but also threatens the very foundations of Germany’s democratic state….
Statement on the Role of Civil Society Organizations in Sustaining German Genocide Denial
Raphael Lemkin – Wikipedia
The only thing that will make the question of genocide go away is if the ICJ find Israel not guilty. That will not come soon. Israel’s apologists will have to face/answer/evade the question from now until then.
An addition to Odds & Ends: in February Boston University will host the “2026 Conference on the Jewish Left”.
“Founded in 2024, Boston University’s annual “Conference on the Jewish Left” gathers together scholars, students, and global partners of the Jewish left. At a time when foundational principles of justice and democracy are under attack, the conference provides an educational space to bridge the academic-community divide, and to explore the Jewish left’s values, institutions, and impact. The conference aims to tackle pressing public questions and to empower the next generation of leaders to make a real-world difference in the critical challenges facing humanity and the earth today.”
2026 Conference on the Jewish Left | Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs: CURA