Palestinian messaging about human rights is working. A rightwing Israeli thinktank says anti-Zionism is growing in the U.S. Jewish community. A “possibly significant minority (which may be up to 25%) appears to hold beliefs that are intensely critical of Israel and Zionism itself, including attitudes that Zionism may be a colonial and/or racist, apartheid movement as practiced in Israel today.” Even more, 31 percent, would vote for Rashida Tlaib because she is a progressive!
The Democratic Party has squelched the Palestinian issue. Yesterday, Kamala Harris had a conference call with 1800 Jewish Democratic donors and assured them a President Biden will never condition aid to Israel over its conduct and that Biden-Harris will show “unwavering support” for Israel. The party has shut down the left’s criticism of Israel saying it could damage the effort to make Donald Trump a one-termer.
The Democratic Party successfully sent the message in its convention that Biden won’t be a troublemaker like Obama on Palestinian human rights, thereby pleasing big donors. But the news from congressional races is that the Democratic base cares deeply about the issue.
Rep. Betty McCollum has introduced legislation that condemns the Israeli government’s proposed annexation of the West Bank and blocks any U.S. aid that would potentially be used to fund it. The Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act is endorsed by over 30 progressive organizations and is cosponsored by six other Democratic House members.
Rep. Ilhan Omar defeated challenger Antone Melton-Meaux in her primary and is expected to sail to an easy victory this November. Melton-Meaux raked in millions of dollars attempting to oust Omar, with many campaign contributions coming from pro-Israel groups.
Everything still looks solid for the Israel lobby at the top of the Democratic Party this year. But if we view the party as a pyramid, with its apex being the presidential ticket, its middle layer being its elected officials, and its bottom layer being its base, then the foundations of the Israel lobby’s hold on the party is quite evidently crumbling.
Kamala Harris is so pro-Israel she helps Biden remove the issue from his race with Trump. But progressives who want it to be an issue are winning House races. The Democratic street wants boycott and sanctions.
John Nichols of The Nation magazine is one of the best political reporters in America. He knows more about grass-roots organizing than almost anyone else. But his latest article, on today’s primary challenge to Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota leaves out the huge role that elements of the pro-Israel lobby are playing in the effort to unseat her.
The American Jewish community should make Peter Beinart a “pariah” just like Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar; because like a Holocaust denier, he has questioned a “fundament of Jewish history,” the fact that 2000 years show Jews can’t be safe unless they have sovereignty and control their own destiny. So says Israeli author Daniel Gordis.
A dozen pro-Israel donors give over $2 million to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, among them Haim Saban whose one issue is Israel and to whom Hillary Clinton wrote about her “alarm” over BDS in 2016. So that’s why Joe Biden and the Democratic Party leadership also oppose BDS. Just do the arithmetic…