Democratic National Committee split over arms embargo on Israel

Divide at a summer DNC meeting over whether to call for an arms embargo on Israel reveals generational and ideological differences

Security fencing remains installed around the Democratic National Committee headquarters, on 16 November 2023, in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

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The US Democratic Party is split between progressives and moderates on whether to call for an arms embargo and suspension of military aid to Israel over Gaza.

The Democratic National Committee took up two resolutions during its summer meeting on Tuesday in Aurora, Illinois, which would lay out how the party responds to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has been deemed a genocide by international rights groups and scholars worldwide.

The resolution calling for an arms embargo and an end to US military aid for Israel was introduced by 26-year-old DNC member from Florida, Allison Minnerly, reflecting young Democrats' anger at Israel.

Minnerly’s resolution was defeated in a vote that took place without protest. A separate resolution introduced by DNC chairman Ken Martin initially passed the committee, but he removed it, saying he wanted to find a path to keep the Democratic Party “unified”.

Martin’s resolution called for a ceasefire, the release of captives in Gaza and unfettered access to humanitarian aid, along with a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Minnerly framed her resolution as necessary to put the Democratic Party back into lockstep with the vast majority of its members.

“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,” she said.

In a separate interview, Minnerly said: “We’re seeing this shift happening because, one, there’s political pressure, but two, it’s also the right thing to do,” Minnerly said in an interview. “Our party leadership might not have caught up with that.”

More than a majority of Americans now have a negative view of Israel, according to a Pew poll released in April. That study showed that among Democrats, 69 percent expressed an unfavourable view of Israel.

Notably, young Republicans, those under the age of 50, are also now more likely to have an unfavourable view of Israel, with 50 percent polling in that direction.

While the Trump administration and the Republican Party have given unconditional support for Israel’s genocide, criticism of Israel is increasing in the wider Democratic Party.

Minnerly’s call for an arms embargo echoed the language of two resolutions brought to the US Senate floor in July by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

For the first time, a majority of the Democrats, and two Independent allies, supported the resolutions to block the sale of $675m in bombs and guidance kits, as well as the shipment of 20,000 assault rifles to Israel.

There are a total of 45 Democrats in the Senate, plus two Independents who are aligned with them. The vote of 44 in favour represented a sizable shift against Israel compared to a previous attempt by Sanders in April, which only managed to garner 15 Democrats on board.

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