Conflict between Israel and Hamas is upending California Senate race

The California Democratic primary race for former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat is being upended by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to Politico.

California Democratic representatives running to succeed Feinstein include Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, but so far Lee is the only candidate to back a ceasefire in Gaza amid Israel’s response to the terrorist attacks. of Hamas on October 7. Angry pro-Palestinian protesters stormed a California Democratic Party convention on Saturday. according to Politico, forcing the party to cancel planned caucuses and underscoring deep divisions within the party. (RELATED: Elite universities that are hotbeds of pro-Hamas activism got billions in federal grants and tax benefits)

“We need to make sure we address genocide and colonization and that’s what I feel like we were doing,” said delegate and lawyer Magali Kincaid, who was with the protesters. said Los Angeles Times.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 21: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, questions Special Counsel John Durham during a break in a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on June 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The protests and riots angered some Jewish delegates, some of whom said the leader of the state Democratic Party, Rusty Hicks, is not doing enough to protect its members, according to the Times.

“Many were shocked by the disturbing and violent acts they witnessed,” Andrew Lachman, a Jewish delegate and president of Democrats for Israel in California, told the Times.

“We can’t win Michigan or Virginia without Muslim votes. You can’t win Nevada or Pennsylvania without the Jewish community,” Lachman told the Times. “So anyone who thinks they can yell at someone else to get them out of the room is doing a disservice to the Democratic Party.”

Hicks condemned the protesters on Sunday and said that “any delegate who actively participated in or helped promote those activities and events… will be held accountable,” according to the Times.

Porter’s view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been described as harsher than that of his opponent Lee, according to Politico.

“There are lives lost in Gaza and there are lives lost in Israel,” Porter saying October in a forum with Lee and Schiff. “And it is because the United States has allowed terrorism to flourish and has refused to take a strong enough stance against Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Lee won a plurality of votes at the convention, just ahead of Schiff, but no candidate obtained the 60% required to gain official party endorsement.

Schiff spoke out in support of Israel a day after the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7. according to a press release.

“I strongly support Israel in the face of this terrorist attack by Hamas and the declaration of war on the people of Israel,” Schiff said in the press release.

Top federal Democratic legislators released a Nov. 16 statement that did not condemn violent pro-Palestinian protesters who were aggressive toward police outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters the night before. The conflict between Israel and Gaza has sparked active conflict within the Democratic Party, leading some more moderate Democrats to condemn leftmost positions.

“We fully support the right to protest loudly and loudly. But breaching security and shutting down a democratic process, particularly with chants calling for the destruction of Israel and appearing to justify Hamas’ attack, is completely unacceptable,” the California Jewish Legislative Caucus told Politico.

Lee, Porter and Schiff did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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