In editorial titled:
"The Year the Democrats Turned Against Israel,"
New York Post editorial board criticizes Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for promoting anti-Israel language in Democratic Party platform.
In an editorial titled "The Year the Democrats Turned Against Israel," the New York Post editorial board criticized Sanders for using three of his five picks for the Democratic Party's 2016 platform committee to name outspoken critics of Israel.
"Mark this as the year the Democratic Party turned decisively anti-Israel," the editorial began.
"The party's ever-more-dominant liberal base has turned increasingly against the Jewish state -- while Bernie Sanders is using his movement to push for Israel-bashing language in the platform. And Israel's remaining Democratic friends are afraid to speak up."
The editorial cited a recent Pew Research poll that found 40 percent of self-proclaimed liberal Democrats consider themselves pro-Palestinian compared to just 33 percent who see themselves as pro-Israel.
"The trend's been building for years," the editorial said.
"The initial 2012 Democratic platform, recall, dropped long-standing language declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital.
"When embarrassed party officials tried to reinstate that clause on the convention floor, they were met with raucous boos from the delegates. They gaveled the measure through as passed -- even though it clearly hadn't."
The editorial then questioned whether the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, would stand up against the anti-Israel trend in her party.
"Maybe not," the editorial said.
"She wants to avoid any public convention fights.
Indeed, her own committee pick, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois), says he sees room in the platform for more avowedly pro-Palestinian language on 'their hope for justice.'
"But even if Hillary does choose to stand up for her own professed commitment to Israel, will the convention delegates follow?"
The editorial went on to lament that the shift among liberal Democrats is occurring just as the Pew poll found increasing support for Israel among all other ideological groups, including moderate and conservative Democrats and all Republicans.
"It's beyond depressing to see liberal Democrats breaking ranks with the rest of America -- and pressing to destroy a seven-decade bipartisan pro-Israel consensus," the editorial concluded.
