Saving Israel for Democrats

Key Findings:

This essay looks at the history of the Democratic Party’s support for Israel, and what could be done to strengthen their declining support today. 

The author begins by summarizing the Democratic Party’s relationship with Israel in the 20th century, once having stood as Israel’s main pillar of political support. Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, among other political leaders, are referenced as prominent examples of Democratic support for Israel from the 50s to the 70s. Jimmy Carter is then referenced as the first American president to kick off the party’s declining support for Israel in the late 70s. The next few decades would see a further deterioration of Democratic support with the election of Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Obama’s presidency.

This change reflects a drastic shift in the Democratic party’s perception of Israel; mainly that Israel is no longer considered the victim of the Arab world, but the aggressor. 

To begin to mend this relationship between Israel and Democrats, the author suggests focusing on political strategies from the likes of Ritchie Torres rather than the likes of AOC. He then suggests a few concrete ways to do so. 

First, challenging and putting an end to the rhetoric that if one supports black, hispanic, and indigenous communities, one should automatically align with the anti-Israel stance as well.  In other words, the author is pushing for a dissolution of the western one-size fits all model for the conversation around race and indigeneity as it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Second, the disassociation between anti-Zionism and antisemitism must be dispelled and called out more openly. And third, more educational programs should be put into place to break down antisemitic tropes and remind people of what Israel really is– a nation with a bustling economy, guided by the very same democratic values as America’s Democratic party.