Will Democrats Stand Up To Their Party’s Anti-Israel Bigotry?

Peloni:  Alan Dershowitz raises the question about Democrats standing up to the bigotry in their party.  In doing so, notes that both Sen. Fetterman and Rep. Gottheimer stand as important symbols declaring that bigotry has no place in the Democratic party, even as bigotry currently is dominating the Democratic party.  What is important in noting this, however, is not just the reality of the Democrats having plunged like so many sea lions off the cliffs of insanity, but the stark symbols by which these two men represent, offering their party a light in the darkness when its members come to grasp the consequences for having so badly betrayed not only the pro-Jewish roots from which their party was based, but also the consequences of succumbing to an electoral strategy which only holds local rather than national support.  Indeed, Mamdani is not the face of America, and America is not the plaything of the far Left, making its near absolute control over the Democratic party a disaster for the national ambitions of the party in the coming years.  Unlike the Making America Great movement across the US, which aspires to support the goals of returning America to its roots, the return of good governance and the recognition of America’s identity as an acknowledged and important asset, the Democrats have by and large chosen to advocate for terrorism, empowering the worst aspects of human societies, the opposition for which the modern Democratic party was originally structured.  Fetterman and Gottheimer maintain this original credo of their party, and the values which many of their fellow Democrats are themselves too craven to publicly support.  Yet, after a period of being left in the political wilderness on the national stage for a number of years, the Democrats will ultimately reflect and change course.  Afterall, the pursuit of power is what drove the Left to morph into its current Far Left iteration, and likely that same desire is all that might one day bring a sense of sanity back to the Democratic party, assuming it actually survives its attempts to emulate the many sea lions in their eager pursuit of folly. 

Alan Dershowitz | July 30, 2026

Sen. John Fetterman campaigning event in Septemer 2022. Screenshot via Youtube.

There is no good reason – in logic, history, philosophy – for the left, especially the hard left, to so vehemently oppose Israel and Zionism, its national liberation movement. Being anti-Israel has become a litmus test for today’s left. It hasn’t always been that way. When the nation-state of the Jewish people was first recognized by the United Nations in 1947, left-wing countries, individuals, and even the Communist Party rallied to its support.

Communist countries provided arms and intelligence to Israel when it fought Arab nations in 1948 for its very survival. Shimon Peres was a featured speaker at many socialist gatherings.

This remained the case until the Soviet Union decided to court oil-rich reactionary Arab and Muslim dictatorships. Predictably, most domestic communist entities around the world followed the party line and turned against Israel. The academic left soon followed suit.

New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer in a campaign add in 2025.

When this about-face took place, Israel was a socialist country with religious freedom, gender equality, freedom of speech, and an independent judiciary. Its Arab and Muslim enemies had not begun to reform. Saudi Arabia still had slaves, decapitated blasphemers, and denied women the right to walk in the streets without a male escort. No Arab or Muslim state had freedom or equality of religion, freedom of speech, gender equality, or an independent judiciary. Almost none had elections.

This disparity did not seem to faze left-wing followers of Soviet dictats. They slavishly changed sides, ignoring the reality that Israel’s policies were far more in tune with their own ideology than the policies of Arab and Muslim theocracies.

Suddenly Israel was transformed into a “colonialist,” “imperialist,” “settler” state that was occupying the land of its aboriginal population. This was never true: Israel fought British colonialism, and most Israelis are descendants of Middle Eastern Jews who had lived for centuries in the region. Even after Israel and President Bill Clinton offered a deal to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza – which began after it won its defensive war in 1967 – many on the left still denied Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.

We saw the toxic fruits of the intellectual subversion in October 2023. After Hamas terrorists and Gaza civilians broke down barriers, crossed into Israel proper, and murdered, raped. and kidnapped thousands of Israelis (mostly civilians), the hard left doubled down in its opposition to Israel. More importantly, anti-Israel attitudes morphed from the hard left to many on the center left. The alleged justification was Israel’s response to the Hamas atrocities. New accusations – all false – were now directed against Israel: genocide, war crimes, aggressors.

Thoughtful Americans on the center-left, including Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Jamie Raskin, have now decided to cast their lot against Israel’s ability to defend itself, even knowing that the slanders leveled against Israel are false. They have said so. But they can’t resist the pressure from the hard left to join the chorus of condemnation against Israel.

Democrats in Congress know that if they are perceived as supportive of Israel, they will be primaried by a candidate from the Democratic Socialist Party. They saw what happened in New York where liberal supporters of Israel were defeated in Democratic primaries by rabidly anti-Israel opponents. They know which way the political winds are blowing in blue cities among Democratic primary voters. Many are prepared to compromise their long held pro-Israel principles in the interests of not being primaried out of office.

The New York Times and CNN also know that these accusations are false, but they pander to their readers and viewers in an effort to increase clicks and revenue.

Reasonable university professors, administrators, and students also know that Israel is not the villain it is portrayed as in campus demonstrations, newspapers, and often in classrooms. But many of them fear pushback and recriminations from radical Israel-haters among their peers.

Today it is much safer and more career-protecting to be mendaciously anti-Israel than to be honestly pro-Israel, even while expressing misgivings about Israel’s political leadership. Being anti-Israel has become good for politics, business, and friendships, much as being anti-Jewish served the interests of ambitious Germans, regardless of whether they believed the lies against Jews they were parroting.

There a few courageous Democrats willing to buck the prevailing tide in their party. Two bright lights, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, are willing to tell the complex truth about the world’s only nation-state of the Jewish people.

Hopefully others will arise.