Again this week Democrats find themselves preoccupied with intraparty drama over shifting attitudes toward Israel. It began last Sunday when freshman congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Congresswoman Nita Lowey exchanged tweets about support for Israel and what is or isn’t anti-Semitic or Islamophobic. Democratic leaders faced calls to condemn Rep. Omar, finally culminating on Thursday afternoon with a vote on a House Resolution to condemn "all" hate instead. New York Times congressional correspondent Sheryl Gay Stolberg has been following these Democratic divisions very closely and reports back with context about the organization at the center of this scandal, AIPAC.
As Congress grapples with evolving rhetorical attitude towards Israel among the younger members of their caucus, Democratic presidential candidates are struggling in their own right to deliver a progressive message about Israel and Palestine to a national audience. Nahal Toosi, foreign affairs reporter for POLITICO, examines what the stakes of a presidential run mean for candidates seeking to soothe tensions over divergent opinions about the Middle East.
Plus, The Takeaway hears from Jewish listeners about how the divide over Israel and Palestine may be playing out inside their own families.
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