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Democratic Party Platform Takes Pro-Israel Stance Amid Rising Internal Opposition to Jewish State

US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris react onstage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, US, Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The 2024 US Democratic Party platform took a strong pro-Israel stance despite rising opposition to the Jewish state from the progressive wing of the party.

“President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Their commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad,” the platform reads.

The document’s tone and content was a striking change in comparison to the direction in which the Democratic Party has moved in recent months on the issue of support for Israel. During his speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), for example, Biden said the anti-Israel protesters outside the convention falsely accusing the Jewish state of genocide “have a point.”

Over the past 10 months, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October, anti-Israel protests have become routine across the US, with chants in favor of a violent “intifada,” demonstrators waving flags of of US-designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and pro-Hamas graffiti desecrating federal property.

Many progressive activists have supported, organized, and participated in such demonstrations, accusing Israel of committing war crimes during its ongoing military campaign in Hamas-ruled Gaza and demanding the US cease all support to its closest ally in the Middle East. Some left-wing groups have tried to persuade voters not to support Biden or Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, over the Biden administration’s support for the Jewish state.

Amid such pressure, a growing number of prominent, mainstream Democrats have in recent months made unprecedented statements against Israel, such as calling to condition Washington’s military aid to its democratic ally.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration, while rhetorically opposed to Hamas staying in power and supportive of Israel’s right to self-defense, has adopted a much tougher posture toward the Jewish state, even pausing certain arms shipments.

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party’s platform emphasized that “Biden traveled to Israel — the first US president to do so at a time of war — in the days after Oct. 7 [when Hamas invaded Israel and launched the war] to demonstrate that the United States stands with Israel in its quest for peace and security. He has also defended Israel at the UN against one-sided efforts to condemn Israel.”

Many members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party were unhappy with the language in the platform. Ryan Grim, a co-host of the popular internet show “Counter Points,” lamented, “The platform released today reads as if AIPAC wrote it.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known by its acronym AIPAC, is the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the US.

Grim also wrote, on X/Twitter, “Pretty incredible — though totally believable — that the final DNC platform has a one-side condemnation of sexual violence, and it’s aimed at Hamas, even as the Knesset [Israeli parliament] engages in a full-throated debate as to whether the acknowledged rape of Palestinian detainees is ok [sic] or not.”

The platform also discussed the importance of a ceasefire in Gaza and efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.

“President Biden has also been determined to broker an immediate and lasting ceasefire deal that once finalized secures the return of all hostages, including the remaining Americans held in Gaza; addresses the immense civilian pain and extreme suffering being caused by the conflict, including the displacement and death of so many innocent people in Gaza; results in a durable end to the war in Gaza; and sets the stage for a lasting regional peace,” the document said.

The platform highlighted the administration’s efforts “to surge and ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.” It continued: “Many vulnerable civilians are suffering deadly consequences of the Israel-Hamas war. Residents of Gaza have been displaced, and food insecurity has been severe.”

Meanwhile, the platform opposed the annexation of territory in the West Bank and the expansion of Israeli settlements — for which some far-right members of Israel’s government are pushing. Additionally, it said the Democratic Party supports a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict in Israel’s north “that would ensure the return of both Israeli and Lebanese families to their homes.”

Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, has been bombarding northern Israel with drones, missiles, and rockets daily since October, forcing some 80,000 Israelis to evacuate their homes.

The platform expressed strong support for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli leaders have argued now is not the time to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state, noting Gaza is ruled by Hamas while the West Bank is governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has long been riddled with allegations of corruption and authoritarianism.

Recent polling has found that the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank generally support the Oct. 7 massacre, want Hamas to remain in power in Gaza, and would back Hamas over the PA’s ruling Fatah party in elections.

The post Democratic Party Platform Takes Pro-Israel Stance Amid Rising Internal Opposition to Jewish State first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.

Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.

“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”

GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’

Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.

“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.

“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.

“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.

After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”

RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL

Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”

Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.

“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”

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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.

People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.

“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”

Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.

On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.

Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.

On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.

“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.

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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.

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