Last month’s midterms were an earthquake for the Democratic establishment. Across the country, progressive challengers sailed to victory calling for abolishing ICE, reducing inequality, and addressing the crisis of affordability.

But one message rang particularly clear: After years of pro-Palestine mobilizations, U.S. voters are rejecting Zionist politicians.

Nowhere has this been clearer than in New York City, a Zionist stronghold and the epicenter of mobilizations for Gaza. Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier were outspoken about their support for Palestine, openly calling Israel’s assault a genocide. They defeated establishment Democratic opponents who in some cases received hundreds of thousands of dollars from pro-Israeli PACs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, too, came to power in part due to his stance on Israel.

Pro-Palestine candidates are also racking up wins elsewhere. Melat Kiros (Colorado) and Chris Rabb (Pennsylvania) are poised to win House seats in November, while Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed may win the Democratic nomination for Senate.

In other words, unconditional support for Israel is becoming toxic for Democratic Party politicians. Radicalized by almost three years of livestreamed genocide in Gaza and increasing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, for many young people in particular, Palestine has become a central issue.

But the movement for Palestine can’t let up — especially since the Democrats see which way the wind is blowing.

Don’t Let the Democrats Fool You

The movement against the genocide has forced the Democratic Party to reckon with how their support for Israel is losing voters. In April, 40 Democratic senators supported a Bernie Sanders-backed resolution to cut weapons sales to the Zionist state. (The resolution failed.) More and more politicians are rejecting money from AIPAC, and some are going so far as to describe Israel’s actions as a genocide. A few days ago in Tel Aviv, Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and Obama administration chief of staff, said “unconditional support” for Israel must end.

So, are Democrats becoming anti-Zionist? Not so fast!

While some may be softening their rhetoric and eschewing the most objectionable elements of the pro-Israel lobby (e.g., AIPAC), these actions don’t reflect a change of heart or meaningful policy change. Rather, they’re attempts to de-fang the movement for Palestine and channel disgruntled voters back into the Democratic Party.

Emanuel, who is exploring a 2028 presidential run, is a case in point. Like many other Democrats, he pins the blame squarely on Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than on the Zionist project. If Israel is engaging in something resembling mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing, the reasoning goes, it’s only because of the Israeli prime minister’s reckless “military-only approach,” and his “unwilling[ness] to plan for a day after in Gaza.” And Emanuel’s concern comes from a place of wanting stability and support for Israel, not from any support for Palestinian self-determination.

For evidence that Emanuel is not proposing a break with Israel, look no further than who applauded his speech: lifelong Zionist Hillary Clinton, and Democratic Majority For Israel, who said his words were “grounded in a sincere commitment to Israel’s future security and prosperity.”

In other words, to the extent that Democrats have harsh words for Israeli politicians, advocate sanctions on West Bank settlers, and call for an end to unconditional aid to Israel — with that last proposal supported by Netanyahu himself — it’s only in service of recouping the country’s lost support among Americans and the international community.

Reject the Whole Democratic Party

But why are establishment Democrats so invested in maintaining support for Israel, if their base is overwhelmingly voting them out of office and turning against Zionism?

The U.S. regime’s Zionism isn’t about any one individual’s beliefs, or even about AIPAC funding. Rather, the United States supports Israel because it acts as U.S. imperialism’s guard dog in the Middle East. The Zionist state, armed to the teeth, helps wage Washington’s wars in the region, including most recently the war against Iran. This is why U.S. policy toward Israel does not fundamentally change, whether under Obama, Trump, or Biden. And it’s why the Democrats will never fully abandon Zionism, even if they sand down its roughest edges.

This is just one reason why leftists cannot support the Democrats, and why we call for organizations like DSA to break with the Democratic Party. Lander, Valdez, and Chevalier’s open embrace of the Palestine movement is progressive, and their victories are an auspicious sign of the changing tides in U.S. society. But running as Democrats helps channel this progressive energy into — and rehabilitate — an imperialist, Zionist Party. And once in Congress, they will face enormous pressure to toe the Democratic Party line on Israel.

We have the power to keep the movement for Palestine moving, and to fight for liberation for all Palestinians. After all, it’s our protests, encampments, and mobilizations that have forced a reckoning among Democrats and even caused the labor movement, including the UAW, to take up the Palestinian cause. And we can go much further. Let’s keep it up — in the streets and in our workplaces!

The post Israel Is Becoming Toxic for Democrats. Let’s Keep It Up! appeared first on Left Voice.

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