Democrats Embrace a More Punitive Posture Toward Israel

“Democrats in Congress are increasingly adopting a more punitive approach to dealing with Israel, taking a series of steps in recent days that suggest they would pursue sanctions for building new settlements and other actions against the Jewish state should they win majorities in November’s elections,” the New York Times reports.

“On Tuesday, all but one Senate Democrat voted to advance a measure that would force the Trump administration to produce a human rights report examining violence by Israel in the West Bank, including the deaths of Palestinian American citizens, in a rebuke that would once have seemed unthinkable.”

“The bid failed, but the near-unanimous level of Democratic backing for it reflected the party’s new willingness to embrace steps that had long been considered anathema given the relationship between the United States and its closest Middle East ally.”