The latest draft of the Democratic Party platform had much to say in support of Black Lives Matter and other domestic protest movements but explicitly calls out the anti-Israel boycott, divest, and sanction movement.
Despite calls to reevaluate the country’s relationship with Israel from left-wing members of the Democratic Party, the latest draft of the 2020 Democratic National Committee platform, obtained by the Washington Examiner, remains steadfastly committed to supporting the Middle East ally.
Although President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, to Tel Aviv, sparked outcries from the Left, the draft platform states the party’s commitment to recognizing the city as the country’s capital.
But the denouncement of the BDS movement, which says the United States should stop buying products manufactured with Israel and implement economic sanctions, similar to those imposed on South Africa during apartheid, is the best evidence that the Left’s influence over the Democratic Party remains limited on U.S.-Israeli relations.
“Democrats will restore U.S.-Palestinian diplomatic ties and critical assistance to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza, consistent with U.S. law,” the language reads. “We oppose any effort to unfairly single out and delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement, while protecting the Constitutional right of our citizens to free speech.”
Several outspoken members of the Democratic Party, including members of “the Squad,” Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, count themselves as outspoken supporters of the BDS movement and argue harsh economic consequences are the only way to curtail what they see as unjust behavior against Palestinians in the region.
In July, the Democratic-controlled House overwhelmingly passed a bill condemning the BDS movement, 398-17. All but one lawmaker who opposed the bill was a Republican.
— Naomi Lim contributed to this report.
