MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Democrats overwhelmingly passed a pro-Palestinian resolution at their state party convention the same weekend that four Israeli hostages were rescued in a daring Gaza raid.
And the resolution made no mention of the Israelis killed or taken hostage in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Sunday’s vote revealed a darker underside to a party that hosted a “Unity Fair” all weekend.
Delegates at the conference approved a resolution by 136 votes to 91 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and calling the Jewish state’s response to the massacres “genocide” and a “grave violation of humanitarian law.”
The government did not acknowledge the October 7 attack or the fact that Hamas still holds hostages, including Americans.
Delegates approved a resolution condemning anti-Semitism but removed a sentence noting that “anti-Semitic incidents have spiked by nearly 400 percent since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to data from the Anti-Defamation League.”
Milwaukee Jewish Federation/Jewish Community Relations Council Anti-Semitism audit In Wisconsin, similar incidents are estimated to increase by 570% from 2015 to 2022, and by 13% in 2023.
Heba Mohammed, a Palestinian-American who co-led the push for the ceasefire resolution, also helped send a message to President Biden during the state’s April presidential primary, in which 48,000 Democrats cast “secret” ballots in protest of Biden’s handling of the Gaza war.
That was just 8% of the Democratic vote in the primary, but former President Donald Trump lost the battleground state by just 20,000 votes in 2020.
“If Joe Biden has any common sense, he’ll listen to what happened in April and what’s happening today,” said Mohammed, who doesn’t plan to vote for Biden. Said After voting.
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation roundly denounced the Democratic resolution: “On the same weekend that four hostages were rescued from two residential apartments in Nuseirat, this treaty resolution falsely accuses Israel of genocide while completely ignoring Hamas’ violation of humanitarian law by blending hostages into civilian populations and using them as shields.”
Delegates rejected a motion to remove the word “genocide” from the resolution.
The state party committee urged convention delegates to vote against a Palestinian ceasefire resolution that does not condemn the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. WisPolitics reported.
Convention attendees reflected the party’s division over Biden’s handling of the conflict.
Cedarburg’s 6th District Representative Susan Moles, who cares for her grandchildren, told The Post on Saturday that she had no knowledge of the controversial Palestine resolution being voted on Sunday.
Mors said he agreed with Biden’s position on the war: “Certainly, Israel has the right to defend itself, but civilians are suffering and something needs to change.”
Stephani Butts, 32, a Monroe rally attendee and advocate for abused children, is vice chair of the Greene County Democratic Party and believes the conflict is the most important issue in this year’s election.
Asked how Biden was coping, she answered bluntly: “He’s not coping very well.”
She wants the president to consistently criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This is not war, this is genocide,” Butz declared, adding on Saturday that he supported the Palestinian resolution “1,000 percent.”
What should Biden have done after the October 7 attacks? Butts said Biden should have “brought people together to talk about what happened.”
“The killing of civilians is unacceptable,” she added, confirming that the “civilians” she referred to were Palestinians, not Israelis.
Most speakers at Saturday night’s convention avoided the issue, but pro-Palestinian protesters tried to interrupt Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s speech by chanting “Liberate Palestine!”
“It’s OK,” Baldwin whispered, and after a brief pause, resumed his speech while attendees tried to drown out the noise from the protesters by chanting “Tammy! Tammy!” and trying to get them to sit down before security escorted them from the room.
The senator Be bothered Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place in Wisconsin since December in support of the ceasefire.
However, her pro-Gaza stance was not enough to appease the protesters.
Wisconsin April Poll Among registered voters, 46% said Trump would be better able to handle the war between Israel and Hamas, while just 26% said Biden would do a better job.
