Democratic Party Going Full Anti-Israel

Washington, DC  –  On Friday, a radical leftwing group called IfNotNow took “credit” for disrupting a speech by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Two women climbed the stage where the Governor was speaking and tried to unfurl a banner that read, “Ron DeSantis: loves Israel, hates Jews.” As security quickly removed them from the stage, one shouted, “Jews against DeSantis.” The group tweeted, “We’re making clear that DeSantis is an antisemite whose actions and policies both support Israeli apartheid and put Jews in danger.”

RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks released the following statement in response:

What was once a fringe opinion on the left has become mainstream and normalized in the Democratic Party. Ascendent voices espousing anti-Israel hatred are displayed openly by the left in the US political arena today. Elected officials like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) lie about Israel and call it an “apartheid state,” while her comrades on the “Squad” call for ending all US military aid to Israel.

A Gallup poll just last month showed for the first time that more Democrats sympathize with Palestinians than with Israel in the long-standing Middle East conflict. According to Gallup, 49 percent of Democrats say that their sympathies are more with Palestinians versus 38 percent who sympathize more with Israel. Republicans continue to support Israel by robust margins; 78 percent of Republicans told Gallup that their sympathies are more with Israel while 11 percent said their sympathies were more with the Palestinians.

From Capitol Hill to the grassroots, the Democratic Party is growing less and less supportive of Israel, at a time when the threat from Iran and ongoing Palestinian terrorism continue to grow. We call on pro-Israel Democrats to stand up and speak out forcefully against this disturbing trend in their party.

CEO Matt Brooks added the following:

From his time as a Congressman and now as a Governor, Governor Ron DeSantis has been a steadfast and stalwart friend of the Jewish community and the State of Israel. The Florida Jewish community appreciates that friendship, and a historic, record-setting 45% of Jews voted for him in his recent reelection. We know Governor DeSantis will receive a very warm welcome in Israel when he visits later this month.