Published On 9/7/2026
The Washington Times and Wall Street Journal discussed the growing division within the US Democratic Party regarding Israel, and how the position on American support for it has become an influential factor in the competition for party positions and legislative elections, and even one of the files that may determine the features of the 2028 presidential race.
The Washington Times – in a report prepared by Seth McLoughlin – highlighted the Democratic Party’s primary Senate elections in the state of Michigan in America as a clear example of this division, as seek Candidate Haley Stevens is out to prove that the Democrat can maintain a pro-Israel stance, with an endorsement The two-state solution Criticism of the Israeli Prime Minister’s government Benjamin Netanyahuwithout losing his chances of winning the party nomination.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
On the other hand, her competitor Abdel Sayed – a native of Detroit and the son of Egyptian immigrants – believes that the phase of traditional support for Israel within the Democratic Party has ended.
Al-Sayed made the huge spending pumped into the election race by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) the focus of his campaign, considering that the influence of pressure groups and interests linked abroad has now received more attention than the issues that concern the American voter, such as the costs of living and health care.
The fate of the Democratic policy towards Israel
The report believes that this confrontation reflects a broader question facing the Democratic Party, which is the extent to which the traditional policy in support of Israel can withstand the face of a partisan base that is increasingly skeptical about the nature of the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv after the war in Gaza.
Opinion polls indicate a clear decline in Democratic support for Israel since the attacks of October 7, 2023, as a poll conducted by the Associated Press and the NORC Center showed that about 6 in 10 Democrats, and half of Jewish Democrats, believe that the United States exaggerates its support for Israel.
The Washington Times believes that this division will not be limited to the Senate elections in Michigan, but is likely to become one of the most prominent lines of division within the party in the race to choose the 2028 presidential nominee.
Crossroads
The newspaper cited a speech given by Rahm Emanuel at Tel Aviv University, in which he described the American-Israeli alliance as standing at a “crossroads,” calling for finding a new path that achieves peace, security, and prosperity instead of continuing the conflict.
The newspaper also reported Republican estimates that the controversy over Israel will haunt the Democratic candidate in the general elections, whoever wins the primaries, as he will face difficulty reconciling the positions of the progressive base and moderate voters.
From a broader angle, the Wall Street Journal – in a report by journalists John McCormick and Douglas Belkin – discussed the repercussions of this transformation on those aspiring to win the Democratic Party nomination in the upcoming presidential elections, especially Jewish candidates.
About two-thirds of Democrats now sympathize with the Palestinians more than with the Israelis, after the percentage of sympathizers with Israel decreased from 40% in 2022 to 17% this year, compared to an increase in sympathy with the Palestinians from 38% to 65%.
Supporting Israel and criticizing its policies
The report indicated that Rahm Emanuel, who is one of the most prominent names proposed to run in elections in 2028, tried to present a formula that reconciles support for Israel and criticism of its policies.
In his speech in Tel Aviv, Emanuel called for an end to direct American support for the Israeli defense budget, and to impose sanctions on companies that support illegal settlements in the West Bank, stressing at the same time that criticizing the Netanyahu government does not conflict with support for Israel.
The newspaper reported that Emanuel is not the only one facing this challenge, as he is shared by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who are also thinking about running for the presidency, along with other names such as Jon Ossoff and Elsa Slotkin.
A profound change within the democracy
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that this shift reflects a profound change within the Democratic Party. According to Gallup polls, about two-thirds of Democrats now sympathize with the Palestinians more than the Israelis, after the percentage of those sympathetic to Israel declined from 40% in 2022 to 17% this year, compared to an increase in sympathy for the Palestinians from 38% to 65%.
The newspaper added that the progressive wing has made defending Palestinian rights one of the party’s central issues, which puts Jewish candidates before a complex political equation, as they must convince progressive voters that supporting Israel does not mean supporting all of its government’s policies.
The newspaper quoted Joel Rubin, who was responsible for communicating with Jewish voters in Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020, as saying that Jewish candidates can no longer avoid engaging in the issue of Israel, because the change witnessed by the party has become profound, and the gap between the progressive wing and the party’s base has widened in an unprecedented way.
