The Democratic National Committee rejected two resolutions critical of Israel on Saturday in New Orleans, then sent both measures to a Middle East working group instead of advancing them through the resolutions committee. One called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The other sought to pause or condition U.S. weapons transfers to military units credibly implicated in violations of international humanitarian law.
The committee also removed language opposing military actions that endanger civilians or deepen repression in Iran. The resolutions now go to a working group announced by DNC chair Ken Martin last August, a panel that has scarcely met since then and includes only a minority of members with a record of support for Palestinian rights. Several members are fervent Zionists, according to the facts provided.
The vote landed in a party that has been moving in a different direction from its leadership on Israel. A Quinnipiac Poll last summer found that 77% of Democrats agreed that Israel is committing genocide. Last month, an NBC poll found that 67% of Democrats felt more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis, while 17% felt more sympathetic to Israelis.
That gap helps explain why the New Orleans outcome stung supporters of Palestine and an end to the war in Gaza. The Middle East working group has become the place where disputed resolutions are parked, and Saturday’s decision ensured these measures would not force an immediate floor fight before delegates.
Halie Soifer praised the rejection of two resolutions related to Israel and said they were out of step with the policies of the Democratic Party. Her reaction fit a familiar line from the party’s pro-Israel wing, even as the broader electorate inside the party appears to be moving the other way. Kirsten Gillibrand said last September that nine out of 10 Democrats are pro-Israel, a claim now at odds with the polling Democrats have seen over the past year.
The question is no longer whether the divide exists. It is whether Democratic leaders will keep trying to contain it inside working groups and committee rooms while their voters keep pulling in the opposite direction.
