Above photo: DNC Chair Ken Martin. Ken Martin Instagram.
In Defiance Of Voter Base.
Democratic National Committee members rejected a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel, but pressure continues to mount on party leaders to adopt a stronger stance against the Gaza genocide.
NOTE: And so continues a long history of the Democratic Party voting against resolutions that represent the majority opinion of Democratic Party voters. The Democratic Party refuses to take positions that threaten its major donors. According to OpenSecrets, pro-Israeli lobby groups gave over $2.5 million to Democratic federal candidates in 2024.
On Tuesday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) members at the party’s summer meetings rejected Resolution 18, which called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, a ceasefire in Gaza, an arms embargo, and a suspension of military aid to Israel.
Instead, members backed a status quo resolution introduced by DNC Chair Ken Martin, which simply called for more aid to be allowed into Gaza and a two-state solution. Despite the support, Martin went on to withdraw the resolution.
“I know that there are some who are interested in making changes today, but as we’ve seen, there’s divide in our party on this issue,” said Martin. “This is a moment that calls for shared dialog. It calls for shared advocacy, and that’s why I’ve decided today, at this moment, listening to the testimony and listening to people in our party, to withdraw my amendment and resolution.”
Martin says he will establish a task force “comprised of stakeholders on all sides of this” so that they can “bring solutions back to our party.”
🚨 DNC members rejected an amendment that urges support for the recognition of Palestine as a state and to end all military aid to Israel. pic.twitter.com/dfwwvDkaVR
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) August 26, 2025
Resolution 18 had faced opposition from lobby groups like Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI).
“Should it advance, it will further divide our Party, provide a gift to Republicans, and send a signal that will embolden Israel’s adversaries,” claimed DMFI president and CEO Brian Romick. “As we get closer to the midterms, Democrats need to be united, not continuing intra-party fights that don’t get us closer to taking back Congress.”
Polling has consistently shown that Democratic voters are, in fact, united on Israel. A majority of them oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the Israeli government held accountable for its actions in the region.
This month, YouGov and The Economist published a poll showing that 69% of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. That includes 77% of Kamala Harris voters.
According to a June Quinnipiac survey, 12% of Democratic voters sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, while a July Gallup poll found that just 8% of Democratic voters support Israel’s military actions in Gaza and only 9% support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An April poll from Data for Progress and Zeteo showed that 71% of likely Democratic primary voters think the United States should end arms transfers to Israel until it stops its attacks on civilians and supports the rights of the Palestinians.
80% of likely Democratic primary voters under the age of 45 believe that military assistance to Israel should be restricted.
“Organizations like Democratic Majority For Israel, despite their name, don’t represent the vast majority of Democratic voters who support cutting off weapons to Israel, or the 69% of Democrats who believe Israel is committing genocide, according to the latest polling,” said IMEU Policy Project Executive Director Margaret DeReus in a statement after the vote. “It’s another sign of just how out of touch Democratic Party leadership is today that dark money groups like DMFI – that have spent millions in Democratic primaries to unseat progressives who stand for human rights for all people – were consulted ahead of DNC Chair Ken Martin’s decision to introduce his bland resolution, while advocates for Palestinian rights who represent most Democrats were once again shut out and ignored.”
“Sadly, this has been standard practice for a historically unpopular Democratic leadership that will not win elections until it decides to become a political party that actually listens to its voters,” DeReus continued.
While the Democratic establishment continues to embrace Israel, lawmakers are facing increasing anger over the issue in their districts.
Last week, voters at a town hall in New Jersey confronted Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ) for attending an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) trip to Israel during the congressional recess.
“SHAME!,” yelled Conaway’s constituents.
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Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) was also interrupted by protesters at a recent town hall over his support for Israel. Multiple people were grabbed and shoved by Bell’s security team.
He’d just been to Israel on AIPAC’s dime.
Protesters call out Wesley Bell at his town hall for blaming Palestinians for Gaza’s genocide. pic.twitter.com/WaP89FQfpK
— Abier (@abierkhatib) August 21, 2025
Bell ousted Cori Bush from her congressional seat last summer, with the help of nearly $9 million from pro-Israel lobbying groups.
“If people wanna support what we’re doing, hey, we’ll take it,” Bell recently told constituents. “Money is flowing everywhere.”
Rep. Wesley Bell explains why he took millions from AIPAC’s billionaire backers: “If people wanna support what we’re doing, hey, we’ll take it… Money is flowing everywhere… If you want representation that’s gonna represent your district… We gotta understand there’s a game… pic.twitter.com/fMRHGKfiEH
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) August 26, 2025
An event being held by AIPAC-backed House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) was also interrupted by protestors. In her response to the activists, Clark said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, but walked the comments back days later after she faced backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Despite this growing anger, many Democratic leaders have consistently attempted to quash pro-Palestine sentiment from growing within the party.
In California, a party official attempted to introduce a bylaw that would have prohibited state and local parties from even referencing Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, or apartheid.
In Virginia, state delegate Sam Rasoul, whose family was displaced by the genocide, was attacked by local Democratic politicians, including Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), after he made an Instagram post condemning Zionism.
Allison Minnerly, the 26-year-old DNC member who sponsored Resolution 18, told Politico that Martin’s decision to pull his own amendment might point to growing concerns among party leadership.
“I think that there could have been more intentional conversation sooner,” said Minnerly. “I do think that his decision to pull his resolution now might reflect, maybe, some inner thoughts and fears that even the establishment Democratic Party, here at the DNC, is not aligned with the base and trying to avoid that conversation because it’s already created a problem with the party.”
