ADL Calls on GOP to Adopt Same Israel Language Approved by Dems
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Wednesday praised the Democratic Party’s platform drafting committee for affirming America’s “longstanding commitment to Israel’s security” and the pursuit of the two-state solution.
“The platform committee rightfully affirmed the Democrats’ and America’s longstanding commitment to Israel’s security and to Israel’s fundamental rights and enshrined key principles of its quest for peace with the Palestinians through a directly negotiated two-state solution,” Marvin Nathan, ADL’s national chair, said in a statement.
Last Friday, members of the platform drafting committee voted down an amendment – introduced by a Bernie Sanders representative – that would have called for “an end to occupation and illegal settlements.” Instead, the 15-member drafting committee approved a draft that advocates for a “two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” that guarantees Israel’s security with recognized borders “and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity.” The platform draft also includes the party’s opposition to “any effort to delegitimize Israel, including at the U.N. or through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement” and confirms its support for Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
Nathan said the debate “appropriately produced a platform highlighting shared values like ‘democracy, equality, tolerance and pluralism’ as undergirding U.S. support for Israel’s rights and security.”
ADL CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt urged the full platform committee – meeting in Orlando next month – and Democratic National Committee delegates to support the current draft.
The organization also called on the Republican Party to approve “similarly strong and unifying language” in its platform “so that both platforms reflect America’s strong bipartisan support for Israel.”
The Republican Party is facing pressure from a group seeking to move the Republicans into declaring the West Bank as part of the Jewish indigenous homeland.
Correction: An earlier version of this post implied that the ADL thanked members of the platform drafting committee for putting up a fight for changes to the Democratic Party’s platform. The post has been updated to include direct quote.