WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The discourse around the Zionist -Palestinian conflict has changed considerably in the United States in recent years, especially among Democrats, according to experts on the issue.
The change has been reflected both in public opinion, demonstrated by a recent poll showing most Americans opposed unrestricted aid to the Zionist regime, as well as in Congress, where a growing number of Democrats have called for supporting Palestinian rights.
Speaking during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Middle East Institute, Shibley Telhami, a Palestinian American professor at the University of Maryland, said the shift existed beyond just a handful of vocal members of the U.S. Congress.
“This is not progressive Democrats - I’m sorry - this is Democrats. This is much broader than people assume,” Telhami said.
“I’m not talking about Congress; the shift in Congress is separate. But if you’re looking at public opinion, then the shift is far bigger than people assume, it transcends this progressive-moderate divide among Democrats.”
In August, the University of Maryland released a poll that found only eight percent of Democratic voters blamed Palestinians for the Zionist regime’s offensive on the Gaza Strip in May.
An annual Gallup poll released in March found the majority of Democrats felt the U.S. should be putting more pressure on the Zionist regime than the Palestinian leadership.
The past few years have also seen unprecedented moves in Congress, with critical demands coming from Capitol Hill, including the condemnation of the regime’s treatment of Palestinians during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a handful of lawmakers voicing support for applying conditions on U.S. aid to the occupying regime.
A shift has also been seen within human rights groups, activists and the media - earlier this year, Human Rights Watch published a report saying the Zionist regime was committing crimes of apartheid against Palestinians in the occupied territories, including East Al-Quds.
This year also saw Palestinian activists, including siblings Muna and Mohammed el-Kurd, being listed on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021.
Peter Beinart, a prominent Jewish-American political commentator, said the shift towards promoting the plight of the Palestinians comes as the U.S. grapples with high profile cases of racial inequality.
“There was a new kind of embarrassment in the media about the way in which certain groups tended to be talked about, but not heard from,” he said during the panel.
“That created a new awareness about the fact that so often Palestinians have been talked about but not heard from. And I think that led people to look and be more open to Palestinian voices than they had before.”