MINNEAPOLIS — The Democratic National Committee delayed making a final decision on a pair of dueling resolutions on the U.S.-Israel relationship, with Chair Ken Martin calling for Democrats to “keep working through” an issue that continues to roil the party.
Democrats had appeared headed for a showdown on Tuesday as the DNC’s resolutions committee considered the competing resolutions, one of which called for a military arms embargo and suspension of military aid to Israel.
The committee initially voted to reject that measure while advancing the one backed by Martin, which called for “unrestricted” aid to Gaza and a two-state solution. But soon after the arms embargo vote failed, Martin announced he was withdrawing his successful resolution, after speaking briefly with the backers of the vote on the sidelines of the meeting.
“There’s a divide in our party on this issue,” Martin said, when announcing he’d pulled his resolution. “This is a moment that calls for shared dialogue, calls for shared advocacy.”
Martin pledged to appoint a committee, “comprised of stakeholders on all sides of this,” to “continue to have the conversation, to work through this, and bring solutions back to our party.”
Martin’s decision was greeted by applause in the room. But Allison Minnerly, the Florida DNC member who submitted the failed measure, said that while Martin had “placed a comma” on the conversation, it was still “disappointing” when “it’s clear what voters want.”
“I think that there could have been more intentional conversation sooner,” Minnerly said. “I do think that his decision to pull his resolution now might reflect, maybe, some inner thoughts and fears that even the establishment Democratic Party, here at the DNC, is not aligned with the base and trying to avoid that conversation because it’s already created a problem with the party.”
Minnerly, who spoke with Martin briefly after her measure failed, said he did not share a timeline with her on when he planned to set up the task force.
The vote on the resolutions had become a kind of proxy battle for wings of the party — and a test of Democrats’ continued shift on Israel amid a brutal war with Hamas. Martin’s resolution represented a more traditionally mainstream compromise approach. But progressives had pushed the failed measure that called for an arms embargo and recognition of a Palestinian state.
The defeated resolution contained similar language to a Senate resolution led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) last month, which 44 senators — a majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus — signed onto. While that arms embargo resolution failed, it gained support from 12 new Democratic senators since the previous it had been considered, the latest in a series of signs that Democrats’ frustration is deepening with Israel’s conduct and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In her remarks to the committee, Minnerly called on the DNC to align with Democratic voters, “Seven percent of Democrats support the party's current position in this conflict and in this crisis, in service to our voters and as the body that is responsible for electing Democrats, we must give clear and actionable items and solutions to our members that align us with our voters.”
Some resolution committee members raised concerns that Minnerly’s resolution did not mention Hamas, and “I’d like to see the onus of a ceasefire, not only with the right-wing government but with Hamas, and it does not mention that,” said Harini Krishnan, a DNC member from California.
“I truly hope that, as a party, we can move beyond this issue,” Krishnan said before the resolutions were withdrawn. “Our country is falling apart.”
Brian Romick, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel, cheered DNC members for rejecting the DNC arms embargo resolution, saying in a statement that it sent “a clear and resounding message” by “defeating a reckless and divisive resolution.”
But others on the committee expressed fear that if they didn’t more aggressively stand up to Israel, “I worry that we are losing our future as a Democratic Party by not being courageous on this issue,” said Sophia Danenberg, a DNC member from Washington.
The committee also approved a grab-bag of other messaging priorities, including condemning President Donald Trump’s second term, combatting dark money in presidential primaries and backing Texas Democrats’ efforts to stop the state’s gerrymandering.
Comments