Hillary Clinton is staying silent about whether she supports changing the Democratic Party’s platform on Israel amid reports that Bernie Sanders is fighting to incorporate criticism of Israeli policies.
Sanders has signaled that he might start a battle over the Democratic National Committee’s Israel platform at the party’s July convention, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday. He has named five representatives to the 15-member platform committee, including two outspoken critics of Israel, Cornell West and James Zogby.
While sources say the Clinton campaign has quietly been working to quash the platform fight behind the scenes, the former secretary of state has yet to take a public stance on the issue. A Clinton spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.
A high-profile fight over Israel would put Clinton in a tricky political position because the Democratic Party is starkly divided about Israel. While the party’s liberal base is more likely to side with the Palestinian side of the conflict, Democratic moderates and non-affiliated independents are more supportive of Israel, according to a Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month.
West and Zogby are staunch critics of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinian territories. West has accused Israel of carrying out "war crimes" while taking military action in response to rocket attacks by Hamas.
There are signs Clinton’s allies are trying to limit the damage. One of Clinton’s appointees on the platform committee, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has indicated that he is open to possible changes regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Gutierrez told the Chicago Sun-Times last week that the platform could include statements about the "aspirations of the Palestinian people and their hope for justice and for peace and equality" but stop short of denouncing Israel’s defensive military actions.
Clinton’s team has a slight upper hand in the debate, since she has six representatives on the committee, one more than Sanders. The remaining four members were chosen by the Democratic National Committee.
A heated fight over the Democratic Party’s Israel platform spilled over from the rules committee to the convention floor during the 2012 presidential election.
The 2012 platform committee had quietly removed a section recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The Jerusalem portion was reinstated by convention leaders over loud objections from delegates. At this year’s convention, pro-Israel leaders are expecting changes to the platform due to shifts in the attitudes of Democratic voters.