After the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, Democratic Party groups supporting Israel warned critics of Israel that they would face strong financial challenges in upcoming primaries. However, these groups haven’t taken significant action yet.
For example, Representative Summer Lee from Pittsburgh, a vocal critic of Israel, is facing minimal opposition in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary.
Despite promises of financial support from organizations like Democratic Majority for Israel and the United Democracy Project, which is linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), they haven’t spent much money on these efforts so far.
Insiders involved in these pro-Israel efforts say that the lack of action against Representative Lee doesn’t mean they’re backing down. They just find it hard to find a strong challenger to her. But they hint that they might get more involved in future primaries, especially those involving representatives like Jamaal Bowman in New York and Cori Bush in Missouri.
One reason for the hesitation might be the changing views on Israel within the Democratic Party. The recent conflict in Gaza has led to more pro-Palestinian demonstrations than pro-Israel ones, and many House Democrats voted against sending military aid to Israel. This shows a shift in attitudes within the party.
But it’s not just about politics. Younger, more progressive voters are less supportive of traditional pro-Israel groups like AIPAC. Recent polls show that younger people are more sympathetic towards Palestinians.
Some say this change is because of how the media covers the conflict, while others think it reflects deeper differences in policy towards Israel’s peace and security. But whatever the reason, the threats from pro-Israel groups seem to be making their critics in the Democratic Party more determined, rather than changing their minds.
Despite raising lots of money, it’s unclear how much impact these pro-Israel groups will have on Democratic primaries. While groups like the United Democracy Project have raised a lot of money, they haven’t spent much of it. And when they have spent money, it hasn’t always been directly related to Israel, which makes their influence even more uncertain.
Looking forward, it’s hard to say how much influence pro-Israel groups will have in Democratic primaries. They say they’ll still have a voice, but critics think their influence might be fading as the party grapples with changing attitudes towards Israel and Palestine.”