The Democrats have an Israel problem
Bernie Sanders’ team is pressing the Democratic Party to do something it’s never before done: adopt an official party platform plank referring to Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank.
It would mark yet another significant step in Democrats’ growing abandonment of their historic support of Israel dating back to President Harry Truman.
Then again, Sanders’ hand-picked members of the platform committee make no bones about wanting exactly that.
At a recent committee hearing, Cornel West charged that the Democrats have “been beholden to AIPAC” — the pro-Israel lobbying group — “for too long.”
Yes, Hillary Clinton’s supporters pushed back. Ex-Rep. Robert Wexler, for one, insisted the platform isn’t the place to litigate the Middle East conflict. But it’s telling that he made a procedural argument, rather than face the Israel-bashers’ charges head-on.
The final call may not be up to Clinton — not judging by what went on four years ago.
That’s when the convention chair had to resort to outright subterfuge to reinstate a clause (dropped by the platform committee) declaring Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital.
On several votes, delegates loudly booed down the motion to restore the traditional language — before the chair just declared it passed, when it clearly hadn’t.
A party’s platform is its official declaration of its stances. And the Democratic platform has never used the word “occupation.”
Clinton surely would love for this all to go away quietly. But polls show liberal Democrats are now more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli. If it comes to a floor fight, will she stand up for principle and demand the delegates oppose the Israel-bashers?
Or will party leaders again just ignore the actual votes so they can pretend Democrats haven’t turned against the Jewish state?
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