The Shift, a weekly politics newsletter from Mondoweiss that takes you the front lines in the battle over Palestine in U.S. politics.
Israel has long been perceived as a third rail in U.S. politics, a subject that will effectively end the career of any lawmaker who dares bring up its human rights abuses or questions the billions of dollars in taxpayer money it receives. However, over the past few years things have begun to move. Congress members like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Betty McCollum have highlighted the plight of Palestinians and even questioned the political influence of organizations like AIPAC. The subject of conditioning aid to Israel has even been addressed by Democratic candidates on the campaign trail. Recent polls show that a majority of Democratic voters want Israel held accountable for its human rights abuses, and in some cases support the BDS movement.