Divided Democrats: Not Just Israel -- NATO and China Too

Democratic socialists oppose virtually every aspect of American foreign policy. 

William R. Hawkins | August 11, 2026

Differences in foreign policy between the Democrat Party and insurgent left-wing activists associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have focused on criticism of Israel’s “disproportionate” response in Gaza to the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, criticism that has expanded into calling into question Israel’s right to exist “from the river to the sea.”  

Several incumbent members of Congress have been defeated in primaries by these insurgents, most prominently Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow victory over Rep. Haley Stevens for the U.S. Senate nomination in Michigan. El-Sayed has claimed not to be a DSA member, but he had spoken at DSA meeting long before he started his campaign. El-Sayed has called Israel’s operations in Gaza against Hamas “genocide.” And antisemitic socialist Hasan Piker, who wants to “end the American Empire,” campaigned for him. Rep. Stevens, in contrast, had been a supporter of Israel and voted against the House amendment to cut off military aid to the embattled Jewish nation. Also in Michigan, Rep. Shri Thanedar was taken down by DSA-backed Donavan McKinney, who has also talked of genocide in Gaza and wants U.S. aid shifted from arming Israel to UN programs in Gaza long compromised by Hamas.

DSA member Melat Kiros won her primary challenge to Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), who had been a supporter of Israel before the primary (but voted against military aid after her defeat). Exactly one month after the 2023 Hamas attack, Kiros wrote “by conflating ‘calls for the elimination of the Israeli state’ with anti-Semitism, you delegitimize any solution that forces Israel to reckon with its colonial role in Palestine, including one-state solutions… one state, under the historic Palestine, where all citizens are equal under the rule of law, regardless of religion or ethnicity.” Such a one-state solution would take Israel off the map and drive Jews to seek sanctuary elsewhere, as rule by Hamas truly would be genocide.

This division over support for Israel against terrorism has blurred as the Democrats and DSA have joined in their blanket condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli air war to disarm Iran. The Democrats voted unanimously in both Congressional chambers (except for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Jully 23 to unilaterally end the war by ceasing all U.S. actions. However, there are two even larger........

© American Thinker