Jewish Democratic activist says no party split over Israel/Gaza

The head of a Jewish Democratic group tells The Times of Israel she rejects a growing narrative of a “crisis” in the party regarding how it should respond to the ongoing escalation in Gaza.

“Proud to be a Democrat in this moment when leaders recognize there is no binary choice to be made between Israel’s security & right to self-defense, and Palestinian rights & safety. We can do both at the same time, while rejecting the forced false dichotomy & narrative of divide,” Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer tweets.

Last week saw two blocs of Democrats give speeches on the House Floor on the topic of Gaza. The first group of more moderate Democrats “unequivocally” condemned Hamas rocket fire while offering “unwavering” support for Israel while the other group of more progressive Democrats were far more critical of the Jewish state and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Soifer acknowledges to ToI that there is a divide in the party between those calling for leveraging aid to Israel and those who unconditionally support the $3.8 billion US aid package to Israel, with Biden and JDCA being in the latter group.

“But, besides that, there is not a huge divide between what may have been previously considered “pro-Israel” or “pro-Palestinian” positions,” she says.