DNC Panel Affirms Priorities as Gaza Debate Continues

A Democratic National Committee (DNC) panel approved a slate of measures at its summer meeting in Minneapolis, while two Gaza-related measures produced the day’s largest split.

Early in the Aug. 26 meeting, members advanced Chair Ken Martin’s humanitarian-focused Gaza resolution. The text cited the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the hostages still held by the terror group, detailed the Israel–Hamas war’s toll, urged secure and unrestricted aid deliveries to Gaza, and reaffirmed pursuit of a two-state solution through direct negotiations.

Later, Martin asked to withdraw his resolution, to which the panel agreed. He said the party needs more dialogue and announced a task force to continue the discussion.

A separate proposal called for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza, an arms embargo, suspension of U.S. aid to Israel, and recognition of Palestine as a state. The proposal failed after debate and a defeated amendment. It was the only resolution that failed in the committee’s meeting.

All resolutions approved at the meeting were nonbinding but indicated the direction of party leadership.

Allison Minnerly of Florida, who sponsored the failed measure, told members during the meeting: “This resolution is straightforward and enforceable. It calls for the end of supplying weapons and military aid as we see the war ongoing and raging in Gaza.”

She said, “This is a moment that calls for leadership, listening, and hard conversations.”

The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) praised the rejection of the arms embargo proposal in a post on X shortly after it failed.

“Today, the Democratic Party sent a clear and resounding message by defeating a reckless and divisive resolution: we stand with the people of Israel and will continue to do so,” DMFI President Brian Romick said. “For more than 75 years, the U.S.-Israel relationship has been strong because it’s grounded in shared values and mutual security interests.”

He added that passing the resolution would have been “a gift to Republicans … and rewarded Hamas’ brutality.”

“In this critical moment, Democrats stood firm, rejected this dangerous effort, and sent a message that they remain united in our commitment to Israel’s security and our long-standing alliance.”

Some Democrats and pro-Palestinian activists have been alleging that Israel’s ongoing military responses to the October 2023 terrorist attack were “genocide” against Gazans, while Israel said it has been targeting Hamas terrorists to eliminate the group and bring hostages home.

Progressive group RootsAction said in a statement: “A party that refuses to call for an end to arming genocide is a party that is continuing the moral collapse of the Biden administration that made the start of the genocide possible.”

Adin Lenchner, a Brooklyn-based Democratic strategist, said the committee’s handling of Gaza “was completely out of step with where Democrats are.”

Lenchner told The Epoch Times via text that only a small minority of Democrats support Israel’s military operations in Gaza, “yet party leadership remains paralyzed—terrified of crossing AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee] instead of responding to the moral urgency of this moment.”

“Younger voters see the difference between opposing atrocities and antisemitism, and they expect their leaders to see it too,” he said. “By ceding ground to those who weaponize Jewish safety for political gain, the party is risking its credibility with an entire generation on this issue.”

He pointed to New York City politics, saying that figures such as Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo—both Democrats running as independents—presented themselves as pro-Israel and against anti-Semitism, while avoiding the question of the human toll in Gaza.

Members also adopted paired measures against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The anti-Semitism resolution was amended to acknowledge bias across the political spectrum, including within the Democratic party, and to affirm a special responsibility to protect Jewish participation in party spaces without fear, harassment, exclusion, or violence. The Islamophobia resolution used parallel protections for Muslim participation and speech at political events.

A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) resolution passed after backers said DEI is a core national value. Sponsor Bill Owen of Tennessee said DEI reflects the country’s history.

“To our Democratic colleagues and progressives, I remind them that all means all. We say all people are created equal. All means all. It means our LGBT, fellow citizens … it means old white guys like me … It means young black girls like my granddaughter,” he said.

“It seems that … in our laudable efforts to reach out and be inclusive to everyone, some people think that we’re being exclusive. Well, that’s not true. We want to be inclusive to everyone.”

The comments regarding DEI track with an ongoing debate on the party’s messaging. Last week, the centrist group Third Way urged Democrats to avoid terminology that may sound elitist or confusing to voters and to use plain language that invites rather than repels. The DEI vote, and how sponsors described it, apparently showed an effort to pair inclusive aims with language that connects beyond activist circles.

On immigration, members criticized Alligator Alcatraz, a state-run illegal immigrant detention site in Florida. Some alleged harsh conditions at the facility and noted a federal judge’s preliminary injunction against it and the state’s appeal.

Another measure criticized certain actions by federal immigration authorities. The committee also passed resolutions on labor’s role in the party, election transparency, support for veterans, anniversaries for Social Security and Medicare, and the role of money in influencing presidential primaries, along with backing a congressional task force on territorial voting rights.