Colorado Democrats Consider Formal Call for Gaza Ceasefire

The Colorado Democratic Party may soon take a position on Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians. On Monday, the party’s central committee, which includes about 600 people from across the state, is expected to vote on whether to formally call for a cease-fire.

The two-page resolution condemns both “Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians” and Israel’s “disproportionate military response that has led to horrific loss of life among Palestinian civilians.” CPR News obtained a copy of the document and confirmed its authenticity with party leadership.

The resolution also calls on Hamas to release all hostages and calls for the “dismantling” of the “terrorist organization.” At the same time, it condemns Israel’s continued settlement construction in the West Bank and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians.

Eight months into the war, the resolution would have no tangible impact on U.S. foreign policy. But it is an attempt to bridge deeply divided positions among Democrats. That division was on display in some of Tuesday night’s primaries. Rep. Elisabeth Epps, who lost to a challenger, said her criticism of U.S. support for the war had catalyzed opposition to her.

Meanwhile, other Democrats have expressed outrage over the tactics of some members of the pro-Palestinian protest movement, including recent demonstrations outside the homes of two University of Colorado regents, one of whom is Jewish , and said that some left-wing criticism of the war denies Israel’s right to exist.

Ultimately, the draft resolution would urge President Joe Biden and Congress to “use their considerable influence to bring a definitive end to hostilities and take concrete steps toward a two-state solution with democratic self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians.” He does not call on the United States to reduce or condition its aid to Israel. He would also express support for Biden’s ceasefire plan.

The Washington Post recently reported that the United States has provided $6.5 billion in military aid to Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack.

Party chairman Shad Murib hopes the resolution will create a “safe space for dialogue” within the party.

“We have members with different views on the conflict who have come together to discuss how we can support an end to the conflict in the Middle East,” he said. The resolution was not his idea, but he worked with its sponsors on its wording, he said.

The resolution will pass if approved by a majority of committee members who will attend Monday’s virtual meeting. The committee includes hundreds of people who are members of party organizations across the state, as well as elected Democrats.

The problem has been present for Democrats throughout the war. Rep. Iman Jodeh, Colorado’s first Palestinian-American congresswoman, said she has heard “horrific” rhetoric within the party. “I feel incredibly alone and betrayed by some people who I thought shared my values ​​on human rights,” she said.

In November, Murib sent a letter to try to cool things down. “No doxxing,” he urged members, telling them not to share each other’s addresses and phone numbers. “Please treat each other with a generous dose of love, respect and grace,” he urged.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

This letter also contained an important message: Murib urged local party organizations not to make any official statements about the war, leaving that task to the state party instead.

State party officials have been working on this response for months now.

“It’s a tough question,” said Joshua Trupin, the party’s secretary of state, who is Jewish. “We really want to make sure that the party has a balanced statement that essentially comes from the party itself, rather than having a bunch of groups come out and adopt something that is one-sided and inflammatory one way or the other. other.”

The war in Gaza is an immediate consequence of the Hamas attack on October 7, in which gunmen killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages, according to Israeli data cited by the BBC.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, the Israeli military response has left more than 35,000 Palestinians dead so far, according to figures cited by the UN, which said most of the victims were women and children. Last month, the Israeli government estimated that 30,000 Palestinians had been killed, including 16,000 civilians.

The Colorado Democratic Party’s resolution states: “All human life is precious and all human beings have the right to exist in an environment free from violence, famine and fear,” and that “Israelis and Palestinians deserve all the right to sovereignty, freedom and security”.

“My parents taught me to recognize the plight of the Palestinians. I was raised to be aware of this anti-Semitism and the persecution that our Jewish friends have suffered over the past year,” Murib said, noting that he is Arab-American.

Two politicians whose relationship reflects the divide

Epps said the party does not tolerate criticism of U.S. support for Israel.

“You will not have the right to fight for liberation and for Palestine without being punished,” she declared before the primaries.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Representative Steven Woodrow, who is Jewish, represents another view within the party. He said Epps’s criticisms have alienated constituents who feel unheard. Epps angered some of her colleagues last November when she shouted from the House balcony that another Jewish lawmaker, Republican Ron Weinberg, was “out of order” while he was giving a speech broadly defending Israel. (Epps said Weinberg was not specifically talking about the bill or a debate on state divestment from occupied territories.)

“I think it was a reaction to the way the conversation has gone so far,” Woodrow said of Epps’ defeat.

Epps rejected this criticism, saying she opened herself up to anyone who wanted to talk to her. She heard most often from voters, particularly Jews, who wanted her to speak out in support of Palestine, she said.

More broadly, Woodrow said he was one of the few Democrats who had “exposed the far left for its antipathy toward Israel.” That included an “almost daily drumbeat from the far left that Israel is a white settler-colonial state bent on genocide and ethnic cleansing, that AIPAC has bought and controls our government, and that they want a global intifada,” he wrote in a text.

Woodrow recently posted messages of support for an Israeli raid that rescued four hostages but resulted in the deaths of nearly 300 Palestinians according to Gaza health authorities. Many were killed by an Israeli bombardment as the hostages were being evacuated, the AP reported.

“If you don’t like the way hostages are being rescued, don’t take them,” Woodrow posted on X shortly after the operation, drawing rebuke from two local Democrats. But he said recently that he celebrated the hostage rescues “while acknowledging that all the deaths in this conflict are horrific,” adding that he had called on Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to resign and criticized Israeli bombings.

Democratic politicians are now hoping the draft resolution could offer a path forward for the party. Both Epps and Jodeh support the resolution, although they wish it went further. Woodrow said he hadn’t read it yet.

“I need to look deeper into this…I am encouraged by every statement that calls for peace. The war is terrible. The fact that it continues is awful,” Woodrow said, adding: “Certainly more dialogue is better than less. »

Editor’s note: This article was updated on June 27, 2024 with additional commentary.