Before the first Israeli troops entered Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people, there were calls for ceasefire on the streets, social media, and in political forums. Until last month, the call was voiced by opponents of Israel who have no interest in the security, let alone existence, of the Jewish state.
On February 29, a letter addressed to President Joe Biden signed by 19 House Democrats included local names regarded as reliably pro-Israel. “We are encouraged by news of progress in negotiations to free hostages and pause the fighting in Gaza, and welcome your cautious optimism that a temporary ceasefire agreement may soon be achieved,” the letter reads.
“A temporary pause in fighting will not only help release the hostages and give desperately needed relief to the millions of civilians displaced by this war, it can also open a path to permanently ending the conflict,” it added.
Among the signatories are Grace Meng of Queens and Dan Goldman, whose district covers lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. Their participation in this letter was met by a mixed reaction from progressives. Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, an anti-Israel organization, spoke of the letter as a “clear sign that this unrelenting pressure...has made it impossible for them to maintain their unabashed pro-war position,” naming Goldman and Jerry Nadler in a tweet.
The group qualified its comment on the Congressional letter, noting that it did not call for a permanent ceasefire, release of “all hostages,” which includes Palestinian prisoners, and “an end to occupation and apartheid.”
Distancing himself from activists who previously vandalized his Park Slope district office, Goldman noted that postwar leadership in Gaza should not include Hamas.
“There can be no permanent ceasefire with Hamas still in control of Gaza. And so, what we are calling for is just a temporary pause for hostage relief and humanitarian purposes, and then a more permanent solution will have to be reached later,” he wrote.
If the Congressional letter did not signal a significant shift in policy among Democrats, the speech delivered this past Sunday by Vice President Kamala Harris offered harsh words aimed at Israel. “People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane, and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris said at an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday civil rights rally in Selma, Alabama. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Her speech followed the death of 115 people last week when a stampede occurred during a food delivery in Gaza City in which Israeli troops fired toward the crowd. In the same week, more than 100,000 Democratic Party members voted “noncommitted” in the Michigan primary, expressing opposition to Biden’s support for Israel.
While Harris’ speech demanded more humanitarian aid for Gaza by easing Israeli restrictions, she noted that there is a deal on the table, negotiated by Egypt and Qatar, that promises dozens of Israeli hostages for several hundred Palestinian prisoners, and a six-week ceasefire coinciding with the Ramadan holiday. Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and has not offered information on the number of living hostages.
“Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire. Well, there is a deal on the table. And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal,” Harris said. “Let’s get a ceasefire. Let’s reunite the hostages with their families. And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza.”
Ceasefire, a word that was previously associated with anti-Israel voices, has been accepted as a temporary measure by the president, leading House Democrats, and some Israeli officials who recognize that their side has the military and moral advantage and can take a pause outside Rafah to secure the remaining hostages.
At the same time, with a tight election predicted in November, Biden offered some concessions to progressives. At a summit last week in Buenos Aires, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the administration’s opposition to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
“It’s been longstanding US policy, under Republican and Democratic administrations alike, that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken said at a press conference. “They’re also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion. And in our judgment, this only weakens – it doesn’t strengthen – Israel’s security.”
His words reversed his predecessor Mike Pompeo’s view that the settlements are not, “per se, inconsistent with international law.” While Blinken’s statement brings American policy back to its position prior to Trump, it does not come with any changes to the law, such as the status of tax-exempt nonprofits that support yishuvim. On the state level, progressive lawmakers continue to push for Not on Our Dime, a bill that would empower the state to levy fines against pro-settlement nonprofits and empower opponents to sue them in court. Organizations such as One Israel Fund, American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, and American Friends of Bet El are in the crosshairs of progressives because they indicate the strength of grassroots support for the security of Jewish communities across the Green Line.
West Bank is not a term that these organizations use to describe their beneficiaries. Last week, upstate Rep. Claudia Tenney sponsored a bill to recognize Judea and Samaria as the proper name for the Israeli-controlled territory.
“The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria, and at this critical moment in history, the United States must reaffirm this,” she said in a statement. “This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory.” Among the co-sponsors of this Republican bill is Anthony D’Esposito, whose district covers the Five Towns and West Hempstead.
As foreign policy is the prerogative of the President, the bill is unlikely to result in change to official maps of the region published by the State Department. Nevertheless, in a tight election year for control of the White House and Congress, pro-Israel bills sponsored by Republicans send a message countering the leftist pressure on Biden to force Israel towards concessions.
By Sergey Kadinsky
