Members of the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday rejected a proposal for the party to endorse an arms embargo on Israel — sparking anger among antiwar activists and signaling that the debate about the party’s approach to Israel-Palestine remains far from settled.
The DNC’s 47-member rules panel voted down the resolution, which means it will not receive a full vote among the more than 450 DNC members who have gathered in Minneapolis for the party’s summer meeting.
Notably, the panel also rejected suggestions to amend the language so it only referred to offensive weapons. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have opposed offensive military equipment for Israel — including through a high-profile Senate vote last month — noting the civilian toll of Israel’s ongoing U.S.-backed attacks in Gaza and extensive allegations of Israeli war crimes. The resolution also included a call for recognizing Palestinian statehood, as U.S. allies France and Britain are preparing to do.
Margaret DeReus, the director of the policy project at the pro-Palestinian Institute for Middle East Understanding, issued a statement following the vote calling the development “standard practice for a historically unpopular Democratic leadership that will not win elections until it decides to become a political party that actually listens to its voters.”
Almost immediately afterwards, a flop-flop over a related, but softer, resolution underscored how the party apparatus is struggling to reflect its members’ views.
Earlier, the panel had passed a resolution from DNC Chair Ken Martin calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, including the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas; more aid for Palestinians; and a so-called two-state solution for the region. His resolution did not specify how the U.S. could use its leverage as Israel’s chief backer to achieve these goals, which American officials have endorsed for years but seen little progress toward. The Martin resolution also noted the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, which led Israel to invade Gaza in retaliation, while saying the subsequent war has killed “tens of thousands” without specifying Israel’s responsibility for the vast majority of those deaths.
The Democratic leader developed his proposal after the arms embargo resolution was submitted earlier this month, in consultation with the hard-line pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI). The organization has, for years, sought to limit Democrats’ questioning of U.S.-Israel relations, often by spending heavily against progressive politicians alongside hard-line pro-Israel groups closer to Republicans, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
DMFI applauded the passage of Martin’s resolution — before Martin withdrew it, acknowledging it did not satisfy antiwar Democrats. He said he would instead establish a DNC task force focused on Gaza. The upshot is that the party position on the issue remains that of its 2024 election platform, which referenced Israel far more than Palestinians or Gaza and reflected the views of then-President Joe Biden, which most Democrats opposed even at the time.
Despite the back-and-forth, Halie Soifer of the Jewish Democratic Council for America — another group involved in discussions about Martin’s resolution — expressed satisfaction that the committee passed language that “struck an important balance,” noting the arms embargo proposal did not mention the hostages Hamas captured on Oct. 7. “We hope to be a part of the discussion on next steps,” Soifer told HuffPost.
Martin’s plan remained unclear on Tuesday evening. A frank discussion will necessarily involve stiff disagreements, however. Democratic-aligned figures almost universally criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the continued fighting and famine in Gaza. The question is one of tactics, and those arguing for the status quo must contend with the failure of Biden-era logic to prevent a spiraling nightmare.
“We are reconciling our longstanding support of Israel with a war that has now gone on for too long ... it’s not consistent with our values as Jewish Americans, that any community, including the most densely populated area on earth, Gaza, would be without food,” Soifer said.
But she defended ongoing U.S. military support for Israel, citing threats from regional enemies like Iran — which Israel itself attacked in June, pulling the U.S. into a war that dealt lasting damage to hopes of diplomacy with Tehran. “Regardless of how it started, we have to remember there were hundreds of Iranian missiles launched at Israel that without U.S. military assistance [in interception] likely would have cost many more lives,” Soifer said.
Skeptics of unchecked U.S. support for Israel argue it enables Israeli officials to pursue risky policies while ignoring demands from Washington to, say, ease their siege on Gaza.
“I’d like to think there can be a path forward that encourages the Israeli government to allow in more aid without threatening security assistance,” Soifer said.
Israel policy has been a year-long source of intraparty contention among Democrats. Biden sustained overwhelming U.S. backing for the Gaza war throughout his presidency, resisting high-profile opposition by the “Uncommitted” movement of primary voters and some legislators, and warnings the approach was fueling a disaster.
Advocates for a more balanced U.S. approach to Israel-Palestine say it is a moral and political necessity that the Democratic Party should prioritize. They have seen signs of hope in the political success of critics of the Gaza war, like New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, legislators’ moves in Washington, and polls showing Democrats and those aligned with them are increasingly wary of Israel.
“Organizations like Democratic Majority For Israel, despite their name, don’t represent the vast majority of Democratic voters,” DeReus said in her statement. “It’s another sign of just how out of touch Democratic Party leadership is today that dark money groups like DMFI… were consulted ahead of DNC Chair Ken Martin’s decision to introduce his bland resolution, while advocates for Palestinian rights who represent most Democrats were once again shut out and ignored.”
DeReus’ group did not speak with Martin’s team, a spokesperson said, and Abbas Alawieh of the “Uncommitted” movement said his group was consulted but not given a chance to offer feedback before the Martin resolution was finalized and made public. Democrats have repeatedly told pollsters they now sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis.
“Martin’s withdrawal of the status quo resolution in favor of inviting dialogue was welcome,” Alawieh told HuffPost. “What remains unanswered is why party leaders keep shutting down the obvious, popular, and urgent policy needed in this moment — cutting off weapons aid.”
Israel says it respects the laws of war and works to limit civilian casualties. Dozens of aid groups and human rights organizations, including in Israel, say the Palestinians are enduring a man-made crisis through Israeli policies that repeatedly violate international and U.S. laws.
Amid continued reports of horrors in Gaza, growing numbers of Americans have rejected Israel’s military operation. An August YouGov survey showed 65% of Democrats see it as a genocide, and in a July Gallup poll, support for the Israeli campaign hit a new low, with only 8% percent of Democrats and 25% of independents approving of it.
Beyond policy prescriptions for Israel-Palestine, a core dispute among Democrats is whether to see the issue as inseparable from the broader agenda of challenging Trump and winning back Americans’ support.
Some treat discussing and arguing about Gaza as a distraction. The tendency was on display during the rules committee discussion, with a member from California, Harini Krishnan, describing a wave of outside calls and messages about the embargo proposal and saying: “I truly hope that as a party we can move beyond this issue. Our country is falling apart.”
She did not support the arms embargo bid.
When the sponsors of the resolution left the committee room and journalists followed them, another panelist, Terri Pickens from Idaho, said she wished the media were as interested in a unanimous resolution condemning ICE.
But others note Israel-Palestine policy is central to alarming Trump administration behavior both domestically and abroad, and a meaningful position is key to showing voters Democrats are serious about universal human rights.
Amid the administration’s mass deportation of immigrants, it has targeted thousands of students and scholars involved in antiwar activism — like Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and antiwar organizer whom the administration alleges threatens U.S. foreign policy. Khalil told HuffPost last month he sees a direct link between his experience and the Biden administration’s embrace of Israel amid the Gaza war, and a need for politicians to end “unconditional support” for Tel Aviv.
“The Biden administration laid the groundwork to my detention, to the repression of freedom of speech in this country, by aligning with the Israeli narrative,” Khalil said. “The Biden administration would actually gaslight you: ‘Oh, we’re actually for peace or we’re helping.’ No, you’re not — you literally gave Israel everything it needs to commit this genocide.”