WASHINGTON, D.C. – When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. this week, no administration officials showed up to greet him.
Vice President and soon-to-be presidential nominee Kamala Harris also chose a campaign event over attending Netanyahu's joint address to Congress, even though vice presidents typically preside over joint sessions of Congress.
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This is due to a Democrat Party in deep division over Israel. Even long-time supporters such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have backed away from the current Israeli government.
Schumer stated, "The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th."
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The shift has been growing for years. In 2001, just 18 percent of Democrats nationwide sympathized with the Palestinians. Now it's up to 38 percent. And in today's war between Israel and Hamas, more than half of Democrats – 53 percent – believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinian civilians.
PHOTO: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of genocide during a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind is the founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. He believes his former party is now unrecognizable.
"I was a Democrat as an elected official for 36 years but I'm a Republican now and it's obvious why: because the Democratic Party has abandoned Israel," Hikind told CBN News.
There will be dozens of empty Democrat seats Wednesday when Netanyahu speaks on Capitol Hill, part of a protest against Israel's war effort. Some have said they'll disrupt his address.
Hikind's response: "They don't want to show up – don't show up. The show will go on. The applause will go on. (Netanyahu) will present the reality of what Israel is faced with."
While the Biden administration has taken criticism for not being more supportive of Israel, the loudest voices in the intra-party division are coming from far-left members.
Mark Mellman's group, Democratic Majority for Israel, already helped defeat one anti-Israel member of Congress, Jamal Brown in a 2024 primary race.
Mellman noted, "There are a few anti-Israel voices that have emerged in this party, just as there are in the Republican Party. We're doing our best to combat those voices to make sure that they don't build more support from other members. But also to defeat them."
The pro-Israel Democrats are now targeting congressional "Squad" member Cori Bush in Missouri. Mellman contends that while defeating anti-Israel members of Congress is important, there's a major P.R. battle to be won, especially among younger liberals.
"There's no question that a lot of young people, particularly, have been taken in by this misinformation," he said. "Those young people are going to become a majority. And those older people are going to be gone. And the reality is, we have to make sure that those younger people in the population at large are as supportive of Israel as their parents and grandparents were."
If that's the goal, then the polling suggests mainstream pro-Israel Democrats have their work cut out for them.
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