Washington Post: 'Democratic Fissure Over Israel Hits a Moderate Swing State'

The North Carolina Democratic Party's constituency of antisemitism gets featured in The Washington Post this week, including a failure to comment from former Gov. Roy Cooper.

WaPo: "Democratic fissure over Israel hits a moderate swing state" 

Democrats in North Carolina are engaged in a bitter fight after the state party condemned Israel for “apartheid rule,” exposing an internal rift in a moderate swing state that is festering nationally and could complicate the party’s plans for the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats’ differences over Israel have continued to smolder. They ignited last month as some Democrats expressed dismay that their party nominated Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York. Mamdani, who is Muslim, declined to condemnthe slogan “globalize the intifada,” which some Jews view as a call to violence against them and many Palestinians see as support for their struggle for a homeland. Critics have called such language particularly troubling after Jews were attacked in D.C., Boulder and elsewhere.

At least two other state parties have passed resolutions similar to North Carolina’s, though in more measured tones. The Wisconsin Democratic Party adopted one last month that said its base is “overwhelmingly supportive of restricting weapons to Israel.” The Washington State Democratic Party approved one last year that called on the state’s congressional delegation to demand that military assistance to Israel fully comply with a law that bars aid to countries that violate human rights.

The resolution in North Carolina said the state party supports “an immediate embargo on all military aid, weapons shipments and military logistical support to Israel” that should remain in place until Amnesty International and other rights groups “certify that Israel is no longer engaged in apartheid rule.”

BOTTOM LINE: Refusal of North Carolina Democratic leaders to condemn and distance themselves from extreme, anti-Jewish actions shows either they agree it or are too afraid of their own radical base to do the right thing.