He begins to measure himself “Gaza effect” within the American Democratic Party. On the eve of the first televised duel between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, one ended in New York primary of the Democrats which was awaited as a test.
It was a question of nominating the candidate for a seat as a parliamentarian to represent in the Washington House a constituency in the northern part of the Big Apple. The war in the Middle East had enormous visibility in the contest between the two candidates of Biden’s party in this primary. The pro-Israeli side won, the pro-Palestinian side lost.
This local challenge has a scope that goes beyond the foreign policy of this Administration and the Middle Eastern tragedy. It was staged in the boarding school in New York a tug of war between the centrist-moderate component and the left wing of the party, it is no coincidence that many national leaders and powerful financiers have mobilized on both sides. For the first time in a while it was the radical component that found itself in the minority. US analysts interpret the test as the possible start of a more general course correction.
In the background there is also a rivalry between the “ethnic” constituencies of the left: this is confirmed tension among the Jewish communityalways a pillar of the American progressive camp, and the more radical wing of the blacks. All this increases attention on what Biden will say tomorrow evening (in Italy it will be the early hours of Friday) regarding Gaza: Trump will do everything possible to steal the support of pro-Israeli voters from him.
Yesterday’s primary concerned the parliamentary constituency it includes the Bronx and a part of the Westchester County. The composition of these two areas is representative of the New York Democratic electorate. The Bronx has a strong historical settlement of African Americans and Latinos (and also other immigrant communities including Italian Americans). Westchester Countywhich takes its name from the county seat located along the Hudson River valley north of the metropolis, it is a typical suburban area that has attracted middle-class families exodus from the mega-city. In both areas there is also a robust community of Jewish-Americans.
In the legislature that is now concluding, this constituency was represented in the Chamber by Jamaal Bowman: the first African American elected as a national parliamentarian in this constituency. A former middle school principal, Bowman declares himself a “democratic socialist.” He therefore belongs to the same radical current as the senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont), and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also a New Yorker, elected in another constituency. In the Washington House, Bowman aligned himself with the so-called Squad, the far left wing of the party. His radical positions on all dossiers – from immigration to welfare – they put him on a collision course with the Biden Administration itself. For example, Bowman voted against the large-scale public investment package in infrastructure, because according to the left wing of the party it did not include sufficient guarantees that that spending would benefit the black community.
It is on Gaza, however, that Bowman’s positions have become the subject of a controversy with national visibility. The African-American parliamentarian aligned himself with the pro-Palestinian forces who occupied the universities: immediately condemning the Israeli military offensive in the Strip, without ever having denounced the horrors of the Hamas massacre. In a video that later went viral, Bowman had called reports of the rape of Israeli women “propaganda.” by Hamas terrorists.
A revolt was organized against Bowmanstarting from the Jewish community, which has gradually gathered many moderate voters in the Democratic base. It was convinced George Latimer to run in the primary, a local administrator from Westchester, on centrist positions. The most important pro-Israeli association has taken the field, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), financing the campaign of Latimer. On the opposite front, all the best-known personalities of the left wing have mobilized, starting with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Bowman stood out for his virulent language – he defined his opponent as «racist and Zionist» – with whom he tried to leverage identity politics on ethnic grounds. Its rejection by voters occurred by a wide margin, Latimer got 60%. He will therefore be the candidate of Biden’s party, and will almost certainly be elected given that this constituency has a strong Democratic majority.
In his victory speech, Latimer said: «The far right and far left must no longer have the power to destroy our nation with their demagogic rhetoric and their brawls.” Bowman has returned to lash out against what he defines the Zionist lobbyaccusing her of having “bought the primary” and of having “brainwashed the voters”.
It is a divergence destined to be repeated in other areas of the country. It is confirmation that Gaza has a divisive effect within Biden’s basewhile the same cannot be said for traditionally pro-Israel Trump voters.
