Peter Beinart writes:

To grasp how profoundly the debate inside the Democratic Party over Israel has changed, it’s worth remembering how Dan Goldman—who lost his congressional seat on Tuesday night by more than 30 percentage points—won it a mere four years ago. A few weeks before the Democratic primary in 2022, Goldman faced off against his top opponent, State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, and other candidates, at a debate at Brooklyn’s Congregation Beth Elohim. When the conversation turned to boycotts of Israel, Niou found herself on the defensive. While insisting that she was not involved in the BDS movement, she said it “needs to be heard.” Goldman pounced. BDS, he said, was “antisemitic.” Instead of boycotting, he added, “we must have unconditional support for Israel.” The room erupted in applause.

This week, by contrast, two New York City congressional candidates who support BDS—Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, the latter of whom participated in the Columbia University Gaza encampment—both won their Democratic primaries. And while Brad Lander, the candidate who defeated Goldman, does not support BDS, he’s called boycotts “legitimate tools” that aren’t necessarily bigoted. He also spent much of the campaign boasting that he does not unconditionally support Israel, and linking Goldman to AIPAC.

What was politic four years ago is now impolitic, and vice versa. Progressive activists have mobilized Americans enraged by US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and shown Democratic politicians how electorally potent that rage is. Democratic candidates are either getting the message, or losing their jobs. [Continue reading…]