I’ve written before about President Obama apparent disregard for the severity of the threat facing Israel; but the opposition to putting pro-Israel language back into the Democratic platform shed new light on the anti-Israel sentiment that characterizes today’s Democratic Party.
When convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa initially called the voice vote to reinstate the use of God and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel there were boos from the audience. But the hostility intensified each of the three times the chairman called the vote.
As Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a press statement:
“This unfortunate incident highlights the split among rank and file Democrats when it comes to the critical issue of Israel, something we’ve seen for some time. Gallup polling has shown that Republicans have been consistently more likely to support Israel than Democrats for over a decade. It is painful to see that demonstrated so clearly in this national forum.”
While there appears to be a sharp divide between the rhetoric coming from the White House and the Democratic base, voters are taking their cues from the president himself. Let’s not forget that President Obama has consistently demonstrated that his “support” for Israel is in name only. Consider his use of the anti-Israel United Nations as a platform to call for the end to Israeli settlement activity, his cancellation of a meeting with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, his awkward speech at AIPAC in 2010 when he called for Israel to begin negotiations over a Palestinian state by reverting back to the 1967 borders.
Hopefully the brazen and offensive response from Democratic delegates last night will awaken voters who still believe Mr. Obama stands staunchly behind Israel.