In defiance of voter base, DNC rejects resolution calling for Israel arms embargo
Democratic National Committee members rejected a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel, but pressure continues to mount on party leaders to adopt a stronger stance against the Gaza genocide.
Resolution 18 had faced opposition from lobby groups like Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI).
“Should it advance, it will further divide our Party, provide a gift to Republicans, and send a signal that will embolden Israel’s adversaries,” claimed DMFI president and CEO Brian Romick. “As we get closer to the midterms, Democrats need to be united, not continuing intra-party fights that don’t get us closer to taking back Congress.”
Polling has consistently shown that Democratic voters are, in fact, united on Israel. A majority of them oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the Israeli government held accountable for its actions in the region.
This month, YouGov and The Economist published a poll showing that 69% of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. That includes 77% of Kamala Harris voters.
According to a June Quinnipiac survey, 12% of Democratic voters sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, while a July Gallup poll found that just 8% of Democratic voters support Israel’s military actions in Gaza and only 9% support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An April poll from Data for Progress and Zeteo showed that 71% of likely Democratic primary voters think the United States should end arms transfers to Israel until it stops its attacks on civilians and supports the rights of the Palestinians.
80% of likely Democratic primary voters under the age of 45 believe that military assistance to Israel should be restricted.
“Organizations like Democratic Majority For Israel, despite their name, don’t represent the vast majority of Democratic voters who support cutting off weapons to Israel, or the 69% of Democrats who believe Israel is committing genocide, according to the latest polling,” said IMEU Policy Project Executive Director Margaret DeReus in a statement after the vote. “It’s another sign of just how out of touch Democratic Party leadership is today that dark money groups like DMFI – that have spent millions in Democratic primaries to unseat progressives who stand for human rights for all people – were consulted ahead of DNC Chair Ken Martin’s decision to introduce his bland resolution, while advocates for Palestinian rights who represent most Democrats were once again shut out and ignored.”
“Sadly, this has been standard practice for a historically unpopular Democratic leadership that will not win elections until it decides to become a political party that actually listens to its voters,” DeReus continued.
While the Democratic establishment continues to embrace Israel, lawmakers are facing increasing anger over the issue in their districts.
Last week, voters at a town hall in New Jersey confronted Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ) for attending an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) trip to Israel during the congressional recess.
“SHAME!,” yelled Conaway’s constituents.
Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) was also interrupted by protesters at a recent town hall over his support for Israel. Multiple people were grabbed and shoved by Bell’s security team.
Democratic National Committee members rejected a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel, but pressure continues to mount on party leaders to adopt a stronger stance against the Gaza genocide.
August 26, 2025
MONDOWEISS
DNC Chair Ken Martin (Ken Martin Instagram)
On Tuesday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) members at the party’s summer meetings rejected Resolution 18, which called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, a ceasefire in Gaza, an arms embargo, and a suspension of military aid to Israel.
Instead, members backed a status quo resolution introduced by DNC Chair Ken Martin, which simply called for more aid to be allowed into Gaza and a two-state solution. Despite the support, Martin went on to withdraw the resolution.
“I know that there are some who are interested in making changes today, but as we’ve seen, there’s divide in our party on this issue,” said Martin. “This is a moment that calls for shared dialog. It calls for shared advocacy, and that’s why I’ve decided today, at this moment, listening to the testimony and listening to people in our party, to withdraw my amendment and resolution.”
Martin says he will establish a task force “comprised of stakeholders on all sides of this” so that they can “bring solutions back to our party.”
On Tuesday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) members at the party’s summer meetings rejected Resolution 18, which called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, a ceasefire in Gaza, an arms embargo, and a suspension of military aid to Israel.
Instead, members backed a status quo resolution introduced by DNC Chair Ken Martin, which simply called for more aid to be allowed into Gaza and a two-state solution. Despite the support, Martin went on to withdraw the resolution.
“I know that there are some who are interested in making changes today, but as we’ve seen, there’s divide in our party on this issue,” said Martin. “This is a moment that calls for shared dialog. It calls for shared advocacy, and that’s why I’ve decided today, at this moment, listening to the testimony and listening to people in our party, to withdraw my amendment and resolution.”
Martin says he will establish a task force “comprised of stakeholders on all sides of this” so that they can “bring solutions back to our party.”
Resolution 18 had faced opposition from lobby groups like Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI).
“Should it advance, it will further divide our Party, provide a gift to Republicans, and send a signal that will embolden Israel’s adversaries,” claimed DMFI president and CEO Brian Romick. “As we get closer to the midterms, Democrats need to be united, not continuing intra-party fights that don’t get us closer to taking back Congress.”
Polling has consistently shown that Democratic voters are, in fact, united on Israel. A majority of them oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the Israeli government held accountable for its actions in the region.
This month, YouGov and The Economist published a poll showing that 69% of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. That includes 77% of Kamala Harris voters.
According to a June Quinnipiac survey, 12% of Democratic voters sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, while a July Gallup poll found that just 8% of Democratic voters support Israel’s military actions in Gaza and only 9% support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An April poll from Data for Progress and Zeteo showed that 71% of likely Democratic primary voters think the United States should end arms transfers to Israel until it stops its attacks on civilians and supports the rights of the Palestinians.
80% of likely Democratic primary voters under the age of 45 believe that military assistance to Israel should be restricted.
“Organizations like Democratic Majority For Israel, despite their name, don’t represent the vast majority of Democratic voters who support cutting off weapons to Israel, or the 69% of Democrats who believe Israel is committing genocide, according to the latest polling,” said IMEU Policy Project Executive Director Margaret DeReus in a statement after the vote. “It’s another sign of just how out of touch Democratic Party leadership is today that dark money groups like DMFI – that have spent millions in Democratic primaries to unseat progressives who stand for human rights for all people – were consulted ahead of DNC Chair Ken Martin’s decision to introduce his bland resolution, while advocates for Palestinian rights who represent most Democrats were once again shut out and ignored.”
“Sadly, this has been standard practice for a historically unpopular Democratic leadership that will not win elections until it decides to become a political party that actually listens to its voters,” DeReus continued.
While the Democratic establishment continues to embrace Israel, lawmakers are facing increasing anger over the issue in their districts.
Last week, voters at a town hall in New Jersey confronted Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ) for attending an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) trip to Israel during the congressional recess.
“SHAME!,” yelled Conaway’s constituents.
Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) was also interrupted by protesters at a recent town hall over his support for Israel. Multiple people were grabbed and shoved by Bell’s security team.
Bell ousted Cori Bush from her congressional seat last summer, with the help of nearly $9 million from pro-Israel lobbying groups.
“If people wanna support what we’re doing, hey, we’ll take it,” Bell recently told constituents. “Money is flowing everywhere.”
An event being held by AIPAC-backed House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) was also interrupted by protestors. In her response to the activists, Clark said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, but walked the comments back days later after she faced backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Despite this growing anger, many Democratic leaders have consistently attempted to quash pro-Palestine sentiment from growing within the party.
In California, a party official attempted to introduce a bylaw that would have prohibited state and local parties from even referencing Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, or apartheid.
In Virginia, state delegate Sam Rasoul, whose family was displaced by the genocide, was attacked by local Democratic politicians, including Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), after he made an Instagram post condemning Zionism.
Allison Minnerly, the 26-year-old DNC member who sponsored Resolution 18, told Politico that Martin’s decision to pull his own amendment might point to growing concerns among party leadership.
“I think that there could have been more intentional conversation sooner,” said Minnerly. “I do think that his decision to pull his resolution now might reflect, maybe, some inner thoughts and fears that even the establishment Democratic Party, here at the DNC, is not aligned with the base and trying to avoid that conversation because it’s already created a problem with the party.”
“If people wanna support what we’re doing, hey, we’ll take it,” Bell recently told constituents. “Money is flowing everywhere.”
An event being held by AIPAC-backed House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) was also interrupted by protestors. In her response to the activists, Clark said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, but walked the comments back days later after she faced backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Despite this growing anger, many Democratic leaders have consistently attempted to quash pro-Palestine sentiment from growing within the party.
In California, a party official attempted to introduce a bylaw that would have prohibited state and local parties from even referencing Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, or apartheid.
In Virginia, state delegate Sam Rasoul, whose family was displaced by the genocide, was attacked by local Democratic politicians, including Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), after he made an Instagram post condemning Zionism.
Allison Minnerly, the 26-year-old DNC member who sponsored Resolution 18, told Politico that Martin’s decision to pull his own amendment might point to growing concerns among party leadership.
“I think that there could have been more intentional conversation sooner,” said Minnerly. “I do think that his decision to pull his resolution now might reflect, maybe, some inner thoughts and fears that even the establishment Democratic Party, here at the DNC, is not aligned with the base and trying to avoid that conversation because it’s already created a problem with the party.”
"We are demanding a roll-call vote so that every DNC member is accountable for where they stand in this historic moment."
Relatives of the Palestinians, including children, who died as a result of Israeli attacks on different parts of Gaza City, mourn as the dead bodies were taken from the al-Shifa Hospital for burial in Gaza City, Gaza on August 25, 2025.
(Photo by Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jon Queally
Aug 27, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
Those hoping that Democratic Party leaders have finally learned some lessons in the political thrashing they received in last year's elections are not yet done fighting for a resolution they argue would put the party back on the right side of moral history and also improve its prospects going forward against an increasingly authoritarian Republican Party led by President Donald Trump.
A day following a failed vote in the resolutions committee, members of the Democratic National Committee and grassroots groups demanding the DNC to take a stronger stand against US complicity with Israel's genocide in Gaza are not giving up—pushing now for a full floor vote to take place Wednesday on a resolution which calls for an immediate ceasefire, an arms embargo, and suspension of military aid to Israel.
"The DNC membership has the power to stand up and let the public see where Democrats really stand," said Allison Minnerly, the 26-year-old DNC member from Florida who introduced Resolution 18 before the resolutions committee, in a statement Tuesday night after the measure was rejected earlier in the day with a voice vote at the party's summer gathering in Minneapolis.
"A roll-call vote is the minimum standard of transparency in a democracy," said Minnerly in her statement, backed by allies within the DNC ranks as well as outside groups.
"A roll-call vote is the minimum standard of transparency in a democracy." —Allison Minnerly
Following the committee vote rejecting Resolution 18, chair of the College Democrats, Sunjay Muralitharan, bemoaned the defeat, including that no chance was offered for friendly amendments. "This move isn't just unjust, it's politically ineffective," he said. "Support for Israel's actions is in the single digits within our party's base. Deeply disappointed in this decision."
DNC chairman Ken Martin, who had introduced a competing resolution, Resolution 3, later took the unusual step of withdrawing his milqetoast proposal on Gaza after it passed the committee. In its place, he called for the creation of a task force to further discuss the issue.
"There's divide in our party on this issue," Martin said as he withdrew his resolution in favor of further discussion. "We have to find a path forward as a party, and we have to stay unified."
Minnerly and her coalition, however, say the issue is too important—and the conditions in Gaza, where a famine has been designated by the world's leading authority on such matters, too horrific—for the full membership of the Democratic Party leadership not to weigh in publicly and on the record.
As the daily massacres and starvation continue in Gaza, the coalition says there is no better moment for all DNC voting members to put themselves on the record.
"Resolution 18 represents the voices of not only young Democrats but all Democrats who believe that Palestinian lives matter too," said Zayed Kadir, chair of the High School Democrats. "It's time for the DNC to stand on principle and stop shying away from the conversation—the moment is now."
As such, in a statement released overnight, the coalition—which includes the American Muslim Democratic Caucus National, Roots Action, Florida Young Democrats, leaders of the High School and College Democrats, and many individual members—is calling for every member of the DNC to:Publicly pledge to support a roll-call vote on Resolution 18 from the floor;
Reject voice votes that hide accountability;
Stand with Democratic voters, the majority of whom oppose blank-check military aid toward an ongoing genocide.
The coalition began circulating a petition Tuesday night calling on members to tell "the DNC that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza needs urgent attention by sending a letter asking them to bring Resolution 18 back into the conversation and support it tomorrow (Wednesday)."
Aftab Siddiqui, representing the American Muslim Democratic Caucus National, suggested that taking up the resolution by the full DNC at the meeting would begin to show the party is learning from its past mistakes and start forging a new direction.
"Resolution 18 represents exactly the kind of principled politics that wins elections," Siddiqui said. "While Democrats lost ground in 2024 by wavering on core values, New York City's mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, proved that moral courage on Gaza builds winning coalitions. The DNC must learn this lesson."
Ahead of and during Wednesday's plenary session, the coalition said it will publish "a transparency scorecard" to track which DNC members commit to demanding the roll-call vote. Those who do not, the group said, will be noted as opposing transparency.
Polling has shown that Democratic voters strongly favor the demands outlined in Resolution 18, a fact the coalition says the DNC must acknowledge if it wants to represent the people it claims to represent truly.
Nadia Ahmad, a delegate from Florida, said Democrats "cannot claim to stand for justice and human rights while blocking a resolution that calls for an arms embargo and humanitarian aid to Gaza."
The fight before the DNC, she added, "is about whether our party has the moral courage to listen to its members and the American people. We are demanding a roll-call vote so that every DNC member is accountable for where they stand in this historic moment.”
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