Israel Matzav

NJ-9 proves mainstream pro-Israel Democrats no longer have a place in the party

This is from an Adam Kredo post-mortem on the Democratic Congressional primary in New Jersey's reconstituted 9th Congressional district.

Other activists said the race proves that mainstream, pro-Israel Democrats no longer have a firm place in the party.

“It means there’s no room for a Steve Rothman in the Democratic Party anymore,” said one pro-Israel activist who is closely following the race. “There’s no room for someone who stands up for Israel and who is willing to defend Israeli policies and actions.”

Rothman and Pascrell fought to outflank one another as the most progressive nominee—except when it came to the Jewish state.

“It’s important to remember this is a primary, and the core of the Democratic Party was voting in this primary,” said the source. “And the core of the Democratic Party in northern New Jersey sided with radical, anti-Israel beliefs over a champion of the U.S.-Israel alliance.”

The “most troubling” aspect of the race, the source added, is that “there’s no question Steve Rothman was further to the left on domestic issues than his opponent, which means Democrats did not reject Rothman on any domestic issue, but rather rejected his support of the U.S.-Israel alliance.”

In the weeks leading up to the race, Pascrell refused to condemn the rhetoric of his Arab supporters who charged that Rothman put Israel’s interests above America’s, a charge reminiscent of anti-Semitic rhetoric employed by white supremacists and other hate groups.

An Arabic campaign poster supporting Pascrell that surfaced in the days before the election urged the “Arab diaspora community” to “elect the friend of the Arabs” and billed the race as “the most important election in the history of the [Arab] community,” according to a WFB translation of the sign.

Pascrell waged a charm offensive in the Arab community, campaigning alongside a Hamas sympathizer and others who have expressed hostility towards Israel.

He also held a high profile event at a local mosque where he was joined by Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn), a prominent ally of the fringe group J Street and the first Muslim member of Congress.

I've been arguing that pro-Israel Democrats no longer have a place in the party since Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut US Senatorial primary six years ago. But now, with the help of far Left bloggers like Daily Kos and ThinkProgress, the Lamonts and Pascrells of the World have become the center of the Democratic party.

What could go wrong?

Labels: American support for Israel, Bill Pascrell, Democrats, Keith Ellison

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:54 AM