Solomon urges Democrats to reject leaders' Israel stance

Nearly half of House Dems voted to cut $3.3B in Israel aid

Progressive activist and author Norman Solomon on Monday called for a “mutiny” within the Democratic Party, arguing that its top leaders — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — are refusing to acknowledge a dramatic shift in public opinion on Israel.

Solomon, the director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, wrote in a Guardian commentary that the July 15 House vote in which 103 Democrats voted to block $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel shows the party’s base is moving faster than its leadership. He pointed to a recent New York Times poll in which 74% of Democratic voters “opposed providing additional economic and military support to Israel, including large majorities in all age groups.”

“The moral bankruptcy amounts to political malpractice, as voters tend to bypass a party with leadership they see as lacking a moral compass,” Solomon wrote.

The day before the July 15 vote, Jeffries sent a “dear colleague” letter opposing the amendment, arguing it “would restrict our country’s ability to confront Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations in the region who are sworn enemies of both the United States and Israel.” Despite his guidance, 103 House Democrats — nearly half the caucus — voted to block the aid.

Solomon highlighted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s vote for the aid cutoff as a “weathervane” of the party’s shift. He contrasted her vote with remarks she made in 2018 at an Israeli-American Council conference, when she said: “if this Capitol crumbled to the ground, the one thing that would remain is our commitment to our aid, I don’t even call it aid – our cooperation – with Israel.”

As MSI previously reported, the July 15 vote followed a public split among House Democratic leaders, with Jeffries and Rep. Pete Aguilar saying they would oppose the amendment while Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar said he would support it.

Solomon argued that fears of being labeled antisemitic have historically pushed Democratic lawmakers toward automatic support for Israel, but that the “dramatic shift in public attitudes toward Israel has notably reduced their intimidating power.” He described what he called Israel apologism from the party’s top leaders as “a wet blanket on a party that should be vibrant.”

The activist wrote that Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin has also failed to address the Israel issue within the committee, which he said has “mired the party deeper in its leadership crisis” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. He noted that DNC officials have been asked to sign nondisclosure agreements, which he likened to the atmosphere of a corporation.

Solomon’s commentary comes as the Democratic Party prepares for its mid-August DNC meeting, the last such gathering before the fall midterms. He predicted the meeting would be a “scene of subdued discord.”

On the 2028 presidential primary, Solomon argued that the shifting political landscape on Israel opens a lane for “a candidate to run with a full-throated anti-establishment campaign, dispensing with equivocation and mobilizing the progressive grassroots with positions that include an end to US support for genocide.”