It is no longer easy to imagine a Democratic candidate for the US presidency, or for any public office in the United States, campaigning on the basis of a position opposed to Israel. However, this scene has witnessed a remarkable transformation in recent years, with the position on Israel turning into a fundamental issue in the elections, and the emergence of sharp criticism of it as a political tool capable of attracting votes.
According to a report by journalist Keren Neubach, with the participation of foreign news editor Moav Verdi, published by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the report deals with the dramatic change taking place on the American left, which has made Israel one of the main issues in the electoral competition, while criticism directed at it is turning into a political card within the Democratic Party.
The report focuses on the rise of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which presents a vision that considers the conflict with Israel to be part of a broader confrontation with the political establishment and economic system. In a new episode of the current affairs podcast “Until the End,” Keren Neubach and Moav Verdi discuss this shift within the American left, examining its causes and repercussions on the relationship with Israel.
The report goes back to the roots of the progressive movement, beginning with the 2008 economic crisis and the rise of anti-establishment rhetoric that followed, through the war in Gaza, to the role played by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in American election campaigns.
According to the report, the idea of a Democratic candidate for president or for any public office in the United States running a campaign based on opposition to Israel was almost impossible in the past. However, in recent years, candidates’ positions on the Israeli issue have turned into a fundamental factor in determining their political orientations, while harsh criticism of Israel has become, for some candidates, an electoral gain capable of attracting votes.
In this context, the report raises a question about the future of the relationship between the Democratic Party and Israel: Has the party become “missing” from Israel’s perspective, or is the ongoing transformation still a path that can be stopped?
Between the rise of the progressive movement and the change in discourse within the Democratic base, the article indicates that the Israeli issue is no longer confined to American foreign policy, but rather has become part of the internal political conflict and electoral calculations in the United States, which opens the door to a different stage in the relationship between the two parties.
