Cornel West and James Zogby lobbied to include the term Israeli “occupation” in the official Democratic platform during a meeting of the party’s platform drafting committee last week.
“A commitment to security for precious Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel can never be predicated on an occupation of precious Palestinians,” West, a liberal professor and a member of the committee appointed by Bernie Sanders, said Thursday. “If we’re concerned about security, it seems to me, we’re going to have to talk seriously about occupation.”
Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute and a long-time Israel critic, sided with West and claimed that the term “occupation” had been used by “every U.S. administration.” He said that the word could serve as “a way simply of clarifying that to get to two states, an occupation has to end.” Zogby is also a Sanders-appointed member of the platform drafting committee.
Both activists’ remarks came in response to the testimony of former Florida representative Robert Wexler, whose stance on Israel is closer to Hillary Clinton’s. Wexler denounced the term occupation as counterproductive and argued for a two-state solution as well as “Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“I would not support, and would in fact oppose the use of the word ‘occupation’ for the very reason that it undermines our common objective,” which is “to achieve a negotiated two-state outcome,” Wexler said.
Wexler also criticized the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, of which West is a supporter. Zogby, too, has called BDS “a legitimate and moral response to Israeli policy.”
“While some proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement may hope that pressuring Israel will lead to peace, the truth is outside forces will not resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Wexler said.
West defended the movement’s efficacy and shrugged off claims that it was anti-Semitic.
“We’re at a turning point now, and of course it’s going to be a slow one in the Democratic party, but some of us are going to be working outside the Democratic party to make it quicker,” West said. “That’s why I support the BDS. Not because I think it’s anti-Semitic.”
In the same breath, he slammed the Democratic party for being “beholden to AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee),” a pro-Israel lobbying group that he claimed “didn’t take seriously the humanity of Palestinian brothers and sisters.”
Sanders has looked to the liberal group J Street for guidance on Israel policy. Sources close to the Democratic platform committee told the Washington Post in May that the Vermont senator, like his committee appointees, would vouch for “elevating Palestinian rights as a U.S. priority” as well as a recognition of Israel’s presence in the West Bank.
In comparison, the Clinton campaign has flaunted its “unwavering commitment” to Israel as well as the former secretary of state’s history working with the Jewish state. During a March AIPAC speech that Sanders did not attend, Clinton promised to defend Israel and improve U.S. relations with the leadership there.
