The News
A messy family argument about Israel will pick back up when members of the Democratic National Committee meet in New Orleans this week.
Critics of US military aid to Israel are pushing new resolutions that would recognize a Palestinian state, endorse conditions on aid, and condemn spending by AIPAC. A Gaza working group, created by DNC Chair Ken Martin in August, will meet for its second dinner and fourth overall meeting, with no official deadline for its conclusions.
Democrats have more to do in New Orleans. Party leaders in 12 states will lobby for an early spot on the 2028 presidential primary calendar. Advocates for five potential host cities will keep bidding for that year’s national convention. But as Israel and the US continue attacking Iran, with Israel also bombarding Lebanon, progressives are amplifying their demand for clearer moral positioning on the Middle East.
Of the 32 resolutions approved for debate in New Orleans, three edge into foreign policy, including the AIPAC resolution, one that calls for “pausing or conditioning” weapons transfers to units “credibly implication” in violating international law, and one that calls for “full, transparent, and independent investigation” of the airstrike in the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Iran.
“We want a frank and honest conversation about where our voters are,” said Allison Minnerly, a Florida DNC member who’s part of Martin’s working group. She introduced a resolution against “corporate money” in Democratic primaries, which criticizes super PAC spending against candidates who have “advocated for Palestinian human rights, ceasefire efforts, or changes to U.S. foreign policy.”
The creation of the Gaza working group last summer has done little to change the discussion so far. Martin proposed an open conversation with “stakeholders” after a compromise Israel resolution passed, but one proposed by anti-war activists was rejected. According to group members and the DNC, the eight-member effort has met once for dinner and twice on video calls.
That’s privately frustrated some working group members, who hoped that they could elevate their discussion ahead of DNC meetings. But theirs isn’t the only foreign policy issue on deck for the resolutions meeting.
Members have introduced language that calls for transition to a “democratic Venezuela” while noting that the January operation to remove the country’s former president “violated international law,” and language that calls for the economic embargo on Cuba to do more than “punish Cuba’s undemocratic leaders.”
The View From Activists
Advocates for an arms embargo on Israel are keeping the pressure on the party. The IMEU Policy Project, which has bought ads attacking spending on Israel, conducted polling around last month’s primary in Texas that found supermajorities of Democratic voters preferring candidates who opposed AIPAC and viewed Israel critically.
By a 44-point margin, Democratic primary voters said they were less likely to support candidates supported by AIPAC, and 68% of them had a negative view of Israel’s prime minister.
“We know President Biden’s limitless support for Israel cost Democrats significant votes in 2024, and party leadership simply cannot repeat that mistake again in 2026,” said IMEU Policy Project Executive Director Margaret DeReus.
David’s view
Rank-and-file Democratic support for Palestinians has surged since 2024 and risen more since last summer, but there are influential party leaders who disagree.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran are more unifying inside the party. Democrats are against them and happy to blame them for rising prices. But the demand for the official party to take a position is fraught with risk, at a moment when the party is feeling good about the issues this midterm election will be fought over.
Setting up the working group last year delayed that fight, but it left a vacuum. Activists frustrated by the lack of an official answer to the corrosive effects of the Biden administration’s Gaza strategy in 2024 won’t stop saying what they see spelled out clearly in research: Standing with Israel cost Democrats votes.
Room for Disagreement
Last year, Democratic Majority for Israel advocated for a compromise DNC Gaza resolution — then walked away disappointed when it was withdrawn in favor of the working group.
Its president, Brian Romick, urged DNC members to reject the new Israel and AIPAC resolutions this week.
“Passing these resolutions will be a gift to Republicans, will further divide our party, and do nothing to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”