In 1948, 11 minutes after Israel declared itself an independent state, the United States recognized it when Democratic President Harry Truman issued an executive order to grant de facto U.S. recognition to Israel. From that time forward, Democrats were the strongest supporters of Israel in Congress.
Until now. The recent victories of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in New York and Colorado have called into question the party’s commitment to supporting the existence of the Jewish state.
The 2024 Democratic Party platform stated that party leaders “believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States” and that the party’s “commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself… is ironclad.”
In less than two years, the party’s leaders, including potential presidential candidates, are trying to escape that “ironclad” statement.
Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said, when asked by Jewish Insider, “whether support for Israel’s right to exist in safety and security should continue to be an official policy position of the Democrat Party moving forward,” he tried to avoid answering the question. He told the publication that Democrats are “continuing to focus on driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system and cleaning up corruption in an environment where the Trump cartel is the most corrupt administration in American history.”
Rep. Alexander Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) surprisingly also avoided answering the question. Yes, she’s a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
“I think what is being litigated, and what has been litigated, is that it’s a vague statement,” Ocasio-Cortez said on whether Democrats should keep the idea that Israel has a right to exist on the platform. “I’m less concerned with slogans and more about the United States’ commitment in honoring its own laws and defending and protecting human rights and preventing war, catastrophe and needless death across the board,” she added.
A new wind is blowing over the Democrats in Congress, and it’s the fetid, nauseating stench of antisemitism.
As public opinion within the Democratic Party base shifts, some voters and Jewish groups have expressed discomfort with the implications.
Democratic Jewish Council of America CEO Haile Soifer expressed “regret that Israel became a divisive issue in these races, especially in NY-10”.
Brooklynite Rob Geaillig told the BBC he voted Goldman because he believed Lander “is far too liberal for this area”. Though registered as a Democrat, he voted for Donald Trump in 2024 because he believed his party was too far “left” on issues such as Israel.
And other New York incumbents who have voted or spoken in support of Israel won their races.
Mainstream Democrats, including party leaders such as Schumer and Jeffries, have walked a careful line of criticising Israel’s military action in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, while continuing to broadly support Israel and legislation that benefits the country.
Not all Democrats refuse to support Israel. The anti-Israel faction within the Democratic Party is being given cover by the DSA and other people trying to split hairs by claiming they aren’t antisemitic just because they don’t support Israel’s right to exist. They always add the caveat “right to exist as a Jewish state.” They point out that the U.S. has never supported a state that’s based on a single religion.
“I think that when we start litigating phrases [like ‘right to exist ‘] that are not attached to the material commitments, then we create a lot of conflict where there doesn’t need to be,” AOC added.
The problem with trying to split hairs is that you eventually end up cleaving the skull. Israel was founded as a Jewish state. They didn’t suddenly decide to become a Jewish state. They joined the UN as a Jewish state and have been recognized by 163 of 192 member states as such. Why do these Democrats want to side with the 29 UN members who don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist? Why join with bastions of liberty like North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia?
The Democrats’ antisemitism is a statement of their anti-Americanism. Refusing to recognize the legitimacy of Israel as a state goes hand in hand with their hatred of the U.S.
Israel can take care of itself. It certainly doesn’t need the Democratic Party to claim legitimacy. But Israel can ill afford to have its best friend and ally at loggerheads over its support. It would only give comfort to Israel’s enemies and endanger America at the same time.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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