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DNC Rejects Resolution Calling for US Arms Embargo on Israel
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, speaks during an interview on party strategy. Photo: Screenshot
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday rejected efforts by the party’s progressive wing to push through an arms embargo on Israel, instead opting to form a task force aimed at addressing internal party divides over the war in Gaza.
A resolution backed by activists on the far left sought to suspend US military aid and halt arms transfers to Israel, a move critics warned would punish a key ally at a time when it faces existential threats from Hamas and other terrorist groups. The resolution also notably did not mention Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades and started the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel. The measure was decisively voted down in the resolutions committee.
Party leaders then advanced a more moderate resolution that underscored support for Israel’s security while calling for increased humanitarian access to Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and progress toward a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although the resolution passed in committee, DNC chair Ken Martin withdrew it amid concerns it could further inflame divisions within the party.
“There’s a divide in our party on this issue,” Martin said, “This is a moment that calls for shared dialogue, calls for shared advocacy.”
For many Jewish Democrats and pro-Israel voices, the rejection of the arms embargo resolution was a relief. They argued that weakening Israel’s ability to defend itself would embolden Hamas and Iran-backed groups that openly seek Israel’s destruction.
“Today, the Democratic Party sent a clear and resounding message by defeating a reckless and divisive resolution: we stand with the people of Israel and will continue to do so. For more than 75 years, the U.S.–Israel relationship has been strong because it’s grounded in shared values and mutual security interests,” Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) president and CEO Brian Romick said in a statement.
“In this critical moment, Democrats stood firm, rejected this dangerous effort, and sent a message that they remain united in our commitment to Israel’s security and our long-standing alliance,” Romick continued.
Although many within the Democratic party’s progressive flank expressed disappointment, moderates stressed that the party cannot afford to abandon a fellow democracy and strategic ally in the Middle East, particularly as Israel continues to face security threats on multiple fronts.
While the task force is expected to revisit the issue, Tuesday’s outcome underscored the DNC’s reluctance to embrace rhetoric that could be perceived as anti-Israel. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, leaders hope the party can avoid alienating key constituencies, including anti-Israel activists on the far left, while maintaining its commitment to Israel’s security and a two-state solution.
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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.