For many Democrats this cycle, the tipping point between victory and defeat is Israel 

Beneath their putative big tent, the national Democratic Party is embroiled in an ideological civil war that is likely to intensify through the 2028 presidential campaign. 

While there are many topic Democrats disagree on — socialism, transgender issues, open borders and appeals to the white working class — the one that underlies this battle for the party’s soul is U.S. support for Israel.  

“The genocide in Gaza has had an overwhelming effect on large, significant segments of the American public,” said Ian Lustick, co-author of the new book, “Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power.“ “Israel’s policies in the past 20 years have become essentially indefensible.”

For Jews critical of the Netanyahu regime, the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack (1,200 Israelis killed; hundreds taken hostage) did not justify killing thousands of Gaza civilians or targeting journalists and emergency medical personal with supposedly precision air strikes. 

For single-issue, pro-Likud Jews, having a Democratic Party united against further U.S. aid to Israel means they would rather have a JD Vance or Marco Rubio in the White House, and a Republican-controlled Congress.

In U.S. Senate races in Michigan and Georgia, pro-Likud activists are supporting Republican campaigns. 

Shocked by Abdul El-Sayed’s Democratic primary victory, prominent Detroit businessman Eric Bronstein — a Democrat — wrote an open letter to Jewish Democrats and independents in support of Republican........

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