Election Edition: Democrats’ Israel Dilemma

As Democrats grapple with what their party stands for, one issue continues to divide them: Israel. The first signs of a fissure came after Israel began its invasion of Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks. Some progressive Democrats demanded a more forceful U.S. response to what they saw as war crimes being committed with the help of American weapons and military aid. By the fall of 2024, a larger movement against the war had grown: More than 100,000 Democrats cast uncommitted ballots in the Michigan primary — a harbinger of Kamala Harris’ ultimate loss to Donald Trump. Since then, polls show that voter support for Israel has continued to decline in both parties. But among Democrats, that erosion has been far more dramatic.

So how should the party position itself on Israel policy in 2026 — and eventually, 2028? In this episode of "Here’s the Scoop, Election Edition," we ask two Democrats on opposite sides of this debate: Tariq Habash, a co-founder of A New Policy, a political group that advises candidates like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who says he lost his primary because of his position on Israel.

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