Just AnotherPerson
02-27-2019, 07:31 AM
See more at the link https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/25/18149990/israel-2020-democratic-party-primary
Excerpt:
Democrats are looking to come together as a unified party to beat President Donald Trump. But first they’re looking at a bitter, divisive debate about a subject most in the party would rather duck: Israel.
In recent decades, including under President Barack Obama, Democrats largely endorsed a bipartisan “pro-Israel” consensus that meant lending Israel both material and rhetorical support, despite some significant tensions beneath the surface and complaints around the world about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
But that’s changing. It’s changing because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become increasingly comfortable with the idea of a strict partisan alignment with the Republican Party, even though American Jews vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.
And it’s changing because a rising tide of progressive politicians want to challenge a consensus among Democratic Party elites, a consensus that no longer reflects the views of Democratic voters.
The change is set to emerge at the top level of American politics over the course of the 2020 presidential campaign. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) broke significant taboos around this issue in 2016 with his pointed, strident criticism of the Netanyahu government. And looking ahead to 2020, he’s charted a break with past Democratic administrations by signaling a willingness to impose real consequences on Israel if it doesn’t change course on the occupation — even telling the Intercept’s Mehdi Hassan (https://theintercept.com/2017/09/22/bernie-sanders-interview-foreign-policy/) in a September 2017 interview that cuts in US financial aid and arms sales could be on the table.
Excerpt:
Democrats are looking to come together as a unified party to beat President Donald Trump. But first they’re looking at a bitter, divisive debate about a subject most in the party would rather duck: Israel.
In recent decades, including under President Barack Obama, Democrats largely endorsed a bipartisan “pro-Israel” consensus that meant lending Israel both material and rhetorical support, despite some significant tensions beneath the surface and complaints around the world about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
But that’s changing. It’s changing because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become increasingly comfortable with the idea of a strict partisan alignment with the Republican Party, even though American Jews vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.
And it’s changing because a rising tide of progressive politicians want to challenge a consensus among Democratic Party elites, a consensus that no longer reflects the views of Democratic voters.
The change is set to emerge at the top level of American politics over the course of the 2020 presidential campaign. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) broke significant taboos around this issue in 2016 with his pointed, strident criticism of the Netanyahu government. And looking ahead to 2020, he’s charted a break with past Democratic administrations by signaling a willingness to impose real consequences on Israel if it doesn’t change course on the occupation — even telling the Intercept’s Mehdi Hassan (https://theintercept.com/2017/09/22/bernie-sanders-interview-foreign-policy/) in a September 2017 interview that cuts in US financial aid and arms sales could be on the table.