Israel divide grows in Democratic Party after New York primaries 

The divide over Israel is only deepening in the Democratic Party after New York City’s first democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, helped propel three primary candidates to victory last week, unseating two incumbent Democrats in the process.

The New York City primaries were unusually focused on Israel, with Mamdani-backed candidates making the issue a central line of attack as they blasted their opponents for being insufficiently critical of the war in Gaza or for taking money from AIPAC-aligned groups. 

The Democratic Party now finds itself more divided than ever over its approach to Israel, raising questions about whether there’s room in the party for such divergent positions and whether the results in some of the deepest blue districts in the country could hurt Democratic candidates in purple states heading into the midterm elections.

“When it comes to Israel, it’s absolutely evident that a small but very vocal sector of the Democratic electorate not only is very angry at Israel, but has made it their only issue,” Matt Bennett, co-founder of center-left think tank Third Way, told The Hill.

“There’s no doubt that this issue is roiling the party right now,” he added.

 In several primary races, Israel became a litmus test for Democrats, as insurgent campaigns sought to capitalize on progressive voters’ frustration with the war in Gaza.

In New York’s 10th Congressional District, former New York City comptroller Brad Lander made Israel a defining issue of his campaign, repeatedly calling on incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) to label Israel’s military action in Gaza a “genocide.”

But Goldman, who has otherwise been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, refused to do so.

“If I lose because of that, then so be it,” Goldman told CNN’s Laura Coates before the results came in. “I’ll wake up on Wednesday morning, and I will proudly look myself in the mirror and know that I stood with my values and my morals, and that I still have my integrity, and that’s much more important to me.”

Goldman used his concession speech Tuesday night to address antisemitism and urge his party to remain united, telling his supporters, “The Democratic Party has always been at its strongest when it has welcomed a broad coalition of........

© The Hill