Dems Grapple With Israel Stance as Trump Boosts Netanyahu

House Democrats could end up mired in a long, contentious internal battle over U.S. support of Israel as President Donald Trump throws his support behind the country’s control of a disputed territory and continues to suggest Democrats are against Jewish people.

WASHINGTON (CN) – Democrats could end up mired in a long, contentious internal battle over U.S. support of Israel as President Donald Trump throws his support behind the country’s control of a disputed territory and continues to suggest Democrats are against Jewish people.

Fielding questions from reporters about several Democratic lawmakers and 2020 presidential hopefuls who have opted to skip the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C., next week, Trump said from the south lawn of the White House Friday: “The Democrats have very much proven to be anti-Israel. There’s no question about that. And it’s a disgrace. I mean, I don’t know what happened to them but they are totally anti-Israel.”

“Frankly, I think they’re anti-Jewish,” he added.

The president’s commentary comes at a significant moment for both U.S. and Israeli politics.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is up for re-election next month and Trump’s abrupt decision Thursday to publicly reverse longstanding U.S. policy by tweeting support of sovereign Israeli control of disputed territory in Golan Heights shows the administration will continue to firmly throw its weight behind Netanyahu.

But the maneuver also forces Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to firm up their own positions on Israel, which could pit them against one another. Or it could force them to form a unified front within their party, no small task given the steady number of internal divisions that are stacking up.

Most recently, Democratic presidential contenders for 2020 like Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced they will forgo attending this year’s AIPAC conference.

Other candidates like former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Indiana Mayor Peter Buttigieg, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz have also opted out.

In a statement Thursday, Sanders spokesman Josh Orton said the Jewish senator wouldn’t attend because he was concerned “about the platform AIPAC is providing for leaders who have expressed bigotry and oppose a two-state solution.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will attend the conference next week, however, as will several other Democratic lawmakers like New York Congressmen Eliot Engel and Hakeem Jeffries. All are scheduled to deliver remarks.

Engel doubled down on his position Thursday. The lawmaker introduced new legislation proposing sanctions on any foreign government that supports Hamas, a Palestinian fundamentalist network which has long warred with Israel over territory in the region.

Engel’s bill is aligned with another piece of legislation drafted by two prominent Jewish Democrats, Representatives Jerry Nadler of New York and Brad Schneider of Illinois.

The congressmen unveiled a resolution condemning Global, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which, according to its website, “works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and to pressure Israel to comply with international law.”

The lawmakers’ resolution – which could face a vote next week and is already enjoying Republican support- stands in direct opposition to supporters of the BDS movement in the Democratic caucus: Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

Though Tlaib could not be reached for comment Friday morning, her spokesperson said Thursday that the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress would oppose Nadler’s resolution because it threatens free speech.

Omar has lent support to the BDS campaign in the past, and in recent weeks has become a catalyst for debate over U.S. support of Israel, and Democratic support of Israel in particular.

On March 7, after Omar made a statement suggesting politicians only support Israel so they can drum up donations from pro-Israel advocates, the House passed a resolution condemning hate and intolerance, including speech that may be seen as anti-Semitic or discriminatory toward Muslims.

After the resolution’s passage, Trump seized on the news and without citing any evidence, heralded the congressional action as a sign of a “Jewish exodus” from the Democratic Party.

Guy Ziv, a U.S.-Israeli relations expert, assistant professor at American University’s School of International Science and author of “Why Hawks Become Doves: Shimon Peres and Foreign Policy Change in Israel,” said Friday he doesn’t see it that way at all.

“Trump’s pro-Israel agenda – his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, his recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights, and his punitive actions toward Palestinians – it is largely driven by domestic political concerns, in particular the evangelical community, which is an important part of his base,” Ziv told Courthouse News by email.

Jewish voters in America have historically stuck with Democrats - even if Democrats are fighting about Israel amongst themselves.

“I expect American Jews to vote disproportionately for the Democratic presidential nominee [in 2020], just as they did in 2016. American Jews, while pro-Israel, are not OK with Israeli government politics, nor is Israel a key factor in their voting behavior,” Ziv said.

Young American Jews also have difficulty identifying with Netanyahu’s populist nationalism and illiberalism, Ziv said.

“In particular the ‘Nation-State Bill’ that Netanyahu championed, which has downgraded the status of Palestinian citizens of Israel. In the past, support for Israel had been a bipartisan matter, but this is becoming less and less of a reality,” he said.

Dan Arbell, a former deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., and 25-year veteran of the Israeli Foreign Service, told Courthouse News on Friday he believes the growing gap in positions on Israel in Congress should “be a concern for Israel and for friends of Israel.”

“It used to be bipartisan and bipartisan support for Israel has been a foundation for the U.S.-Israel relationship for decades,” he reflected.

Although President Trump has recently amplified political divisions on the issue, the fissures between Democrats on U.S.-Israel support began to show in earnest as far back as 2015, Arbell said – right after Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress slamming the Iran nuclear deal as a bad deal and undermining then-President Barack Obama.

Obama, as well as several key Democratic lawmakers, did not attend the speech, citing the proximity of Netanyahu’s forthcoming election that year.

“That created tensions between Israel and the Democratic Party. While Israel has its share of the blame here, it’s also now about the inner dynamics and trends in the Democratic Party that are contributing to the rift,” Arbell said before noting there are more legislators today who take a “left of center” or more “liberal progressive” position on Israel than before.

The new Democrats don’t “play according to past rules,” he said, and as 2020 grows closer, it will be mostly up to Democrats to bridge their divisions.

Israel, however, could stand to do a bit of outreach to those Democrats who are currently alienated by their own party.

“That has to be done through education. Members must be educated about the U.S.-Israel relationship. You can be critical of the state of Israel or agree with all of its policies but at the same time, Israel is an ally of the U.S. and the relationship goes back 70 years,” Arbell said.

And it’s a relationship which has transcended Republican and Democratic presidents alike, he added.

As Trump continues to throw support behind Netanyahu and the Israeli prime minister prepares for a visit to the White House next week, Arbell said he thinks Israel would do more to help its own cause – and in turn, help Democrats heal their own rifts – by implementing outreach to the very politicians who are critical of Israel.

“Pay attention to them. Listen to them. See what their concerns are. Address their concerns. Invite them to visit, invite them for meetings with senior leaders. This won’t happen overnight and it has to start sooner rather than later. We can’t leave this until November 2020,” Arbell said.

Categories / International, Politics

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Dems Grapple With Israel Stance as Trump Boosts Netanyahu

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