THE BUZZ: INTRAPARTY SPLIT — The sheer brutality of the attack by Hamas that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians over the weekend has exposed a long-simmering rift within the California Democratic Party — between the party establishment and a vocal minority sharply critical of Israel. The political fallout has reverberated across the state, emerging as a key dividing point between candidates in local races in three of the state’s most influential metro areas. Much of the fallout has centered on candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization that has sought to convince the U.S. to cut aid and ties with Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians. Soon after news broke of the attack in Israel, the DSA expressed its support for the Palestinians and blamed the violence on Israel. “Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime — a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States,†the group tweeted. The group also led a rally in New York in which demonstrators cheered the deadly attacks and chanted antisemitic slurs. California chapters of the organization went even further. The San Francisco DSA tweeted its support for efforts to “decolonize Palestine — from the river to the sea,†a statement that appears to call for the eradication of the Jewish state. Those comments led mainstream Democrats and others horrified by the Hamas attack on civilians in southern Israel to call on candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists to reject support from the organization. Among the politicians criticized for ties to the DSA: San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston; Sacramento mayoral candidate Flojaune Cofer; and L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who later disavowed the DSA. Raman said on Instagram on Tuesday that statements from the national DSA had “failed to reckon with the horrors committed by Hamas and was unacceptably devoid of empathy for communities in Israel.†Her opponent in the City Council race, Ethan Weaver, has called her stance shameful and heartbreaking. The two are battling for a district in the Hollywood Hills, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the country. Preston, in San Francisco, has drawn the most attention and has refused to denounce DSA’s position. He condemned the killing of civilians but mostly focused his criticism on Israel and stressed his “solidarity with the Palestinian people.†His stance has drawn a flood of criticism on social media and elsewhere from people horrified by a Hamas attack that included the killing of unarmed civilians as well as infants and children, some of whom were decapitated. Preston already faces a tough reelection challenge next year, and supporters of Israel have vowed to try to oust him. “Anyone with these views should be automatically disqualified from office,†said Tyler Gregory, CEO of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council. “This is the largest single attack on Jews since the end of the Holocaust.†Support for Israel was once universal among Democrats. In recent years, some elements of the party have grown increasingly hostile not only to the Israeli government but to Israel as a whole over the expansion of settlements and mistreatment of Palestinians. Preston, who is Jewish, told Playbook that he doesn’t plan to disavow DSA. He said he doesn’t agree with all of its statements and opposes both Israel’s bombing of Palestinian communities and the killing of civilians by Hamas. “I don’t think it takes away from condemning attacks on civilians to talk about that context,†Preston added. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — Did you hear about someone running for office? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook†in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at [email protected] and [email protected], or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
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