The Democratic National Committee will vote today on advancing a sweeping 2024 platform that affirms the party’s continued support for Israel while acknowledging the ongoing suffering caused by the war in Gaza. 

Members of the DNC’s platform committee are scheduled to meet virtually on Tuesday for a vote on taking up the 80-page platform, which serves as an outline of the party’s broader policy goals. Democrats announced highlights of their draft platform over the weekend, four days after the platform committee met to debate areas of contention, including the section on Israel, and hear input from activists and voters.

Should the platform committee vote to advance the platform, it will be voted on by all DNC members at the convention in August. 

The platform, portions of which — relating to Israel and antisemitism — were obtained by Jewish Insider, maintains the party’s support for President Joe Biden’s efforts to “build a durable peace in the Middle East, bolstered by regional integration” and “a strong coalition to counter and deter Iran” and a “negotiated two-state solution that ensures Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own.” This language largely mimics what has been in previous Democratic Party platforms.

The draft document also touts the Biden administration’s work to secure a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza, writing that the president has “made real progress on a way forward that will free the hostages” and “establish a durable ceasefire.”

Democrats acknowledge the high death toll on both sides of the conflict in the draft, with the platform stating that both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “recognize the worth of every innocent life, whether Israeli or Palestinian.”

The decision to keep the platform supportive of Israel comes after lobbying efforts by far-left activists, joined by progressives who have soured on the war, to change how the party officially approaches Israel. A number of activists spoke out at last Tuesday’s meeting urging the platform committee to consider using language that calls for an “arms embargo” or conditions on aid to Israel. 

“From my Native to my Arab ancestry, I know what it is like when our country uses our immense power to promote good, as well as when it misuses that power to spread pain, suffering and genocide. Today I implore you to include language that unequivocally supports a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians,” Elianne Farhat, executive director at the progressive advocacy group TakeAction Minnesota, said at the virtual summit. 

On the domestic front, the platform reaffirms Biden’s promises to take action to combat the rising tide of antisemitism and touts his administration’s actions on the matter, including its utilization of Title VI to target antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses after Oct. 7 and the appointment of Deborah Lipstadt as special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism. 

Representatives for the Democratic National Convention referred JI to the Democratic National Committee for comment on the platform, the final draft of which was released to Politico over the weekend. The latter did not immediately respond.