Peter Beinart on Zohran Mamdani & Why Democratic Voters Are Increasingly Skeptical of Israel

[AloeVera]

2. It's precisely the issue. Democrats see that Netanyahu is just a symptom.

The problem lies with the actions, goals and values of the state of Israel. Israelis keep electing Netanyahu because more and more he represents them. You can't ignore the deeply right-wing shift in Israeli society and the consequent explosion of settlements, confiscations and violence towards Palestinians. Israel has become far bolder in carrying out its long-term goals of annexation and expansion of its territory at the expense of Palestinians. Denying people their human rights and self-determination are not democratic principles. That has resulted in a sea-change of sympathies from Israel (+13 points in 2017) to Palestinians (+43 points today). A 56 point swing is massive.

Lest you conclude all this is due to the Gaza War and Trump's evilness, it's not.

Even in 2023, per Gallup, 49% of Democrats sympathized more with Palestinians, while 38% favoured Israel.

Democrats are no longer a pro-Israel party because the state of Israel itself doesn't uphold the values democrats and liberals stand for. It was just a matter of time before the majority of Democrats came to that conclusion. Israel gave them no other choice.