Read the full article on Nebraska Examiner
OMAHA — The six-person race for the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District has turned ugly as the primary approaches, including attacks about fundraising, leaving the statehouse — and now, the levels of American support for Israel, Israelis and the Palestinian people.
War in the Middle East has magnified the topic of Israel as a point of contention for some Democrats nationally, as an increasing base of people in the party questions the relationship between the U.S. and Israel during conflict between Israel and Hamas and the ongoing U.S.- Israeli war with Iran.
Nebraska Democrats saw that division locally last year when pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside of a downtown Omaha hotel while former President Joe Biden spoke in November at the Nebraska Democrats’ top annual fundraiser. It was one of his first major addresses since the 2020 election.
The top-polling candidates running to represent the Omaha area in Congress, political action committee co-founder Denise Powell, Nebraska State Sen. John Cavanaugh, Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades said President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are to blame for the wars. Navy veteran Kishla Askins focused her attention on the path forward. Self-described Democratic Socialist Melanie Williams blames the U.S. for funding and enabling what she called a “genocide.”
Cavanaugh said both “Netanyahu and Trump have made the Middle East less safe, and I hope to see both of them voted out of power.”
Powell said, “It has been heartbreaking to watch innocent lives destroyed because of this conflict … The people of the region — Israeli and Palestinians alike — deserve to live in peace … Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing government has gone way too far.”
Rhoades blamed Netanyahu and Trump: “The long-term relationship between the U.S. and Israel needs to be stronger than just these two bad leaders.”
Askins called Israel a key democratic ally in a volatile region but emphasized that “U.S. support should not be a blank check.”
All who spoke with the Examiner said they believe a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians is the best option.
Rhoades said, “I don’t have the answer to it, but I think that the best thing that the United States can do is to work with both parties to try to achieve that two-state solution.”
“Strong alliances require accountability,” Askins said. “The United States can support Israel’s security and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza at the same time.”
Powell said she recognizes that the two-state solution is “easier said than done” but thinks the U.S. should help push for it.
Cavanaugh said he believes “a two-state solution is the best way to secure a peaceful future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.
Powell and Cavanaugh sidestepped a question from the Examiner on whether they would vote to continue to fund American U.S. military aid to Israel that includes “offensive” and “defensive” weaponry. In Congress, an increasing number of congressional Democrats, in the U.S. House and Senate, have voted against Israeli aid packages and weapons sales.
“In our polarized political climate it has been difficult to have a nuanced conversation about this issue,” Powell said.
Rhoades said she is “annoyed” with the left of the Democratic Party that seems to want to “force the candidates into either expressing hate for Islamic people or for Jewish people.” She said too many candidates posture toward antisemitism to avoid being labeled an Islamophobe. She has said she would “unapologetically” stand with Israel.
Rhoades said that she thinks “it’s disgusting and should not be tolerated by anyone.” She said the race’s top candidates essentially hold the same position as everyone besides Williams, but she didn’t try to “hide or lie.”
She said she would seek conditions on how American military aid to Israel is used, the same as the U.S. does with its other allies. Long-term, Rhoades said she supports Israel moving away from dependence on U.S. aid. Netanyahu has said that he hopes to “taper off” Israeli dependence on U.S. military aid.
Askins said she would “continue funding defensive systems,” such as the Iron Dome. She said decisions regarding offensive weapons for any country must be consistent with U.S. law.
“As a member of Congress, my responsibility [would be] to ensure that U.S. military aid reflects both our security commitments and our values,” Askins said.
In the Legislature, Cavanaugh was one of a handful of state lawmakers who didn’t sign an informal resolution affirming support for the Israeli people and condemning Hamas terrorists one year after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Cavanaugh later told the Examiner that he “condemns violence against innocent people, regardless of who is the perpetrator … condemns Hamas and supports the Palestinian people and their right to have a state.”
Cavanaugh has been endorsed by J Street PAC, according to their website. J Street PAC is a liberal Jewish organization that is critical of Israeli leadership under Netanyahu.
At a Nebraska Young Democrats forum in January, both Cavanaugh and Powell pledged not to take money from AIPAC or the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC and not to accept corporate PAC money.
Cavanaugh has since criticized Powell for outside support her bid has received from AIPAC-aligned groups and other similar outside groups. Punchbowl News reported earlier this month that the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC initially placed an ad buy against Cavanaugh but later pulled it. The New Democrat Majority, a similarly aligned PAC, soon increased its buy, Punchbowl reported.
Powell said in an interview with local YouTube show 1st Sky Omaha that she hasn’t “accepted any money from AIPAC, J Street, DMFI, any organization in this space.” She recently released an ad saying she doesn’t take AIPAC money.
Ryan Longenecker, Powell campaign manager, said Denise has been consistent that she doesn’t take any “money or endorsements from any interest groups” on Israel, because “it’s important that voters trust her to be an independent voice.”
On her campaign website, Williams describes the “decades-long occupation, blockade, and systematic displacement of the Palestinian people as a profound injustice and the ongoing military campaign in Gaza as a humanitarian catastrophe that the U.S. must not fund or enable.”
“That members of the Democratic Party attempt to either play it safe by avoiding the topic altogether or maybe worse, supporting Israel on the basis of flimsy rhetoric,” Williams said in a statement. “This campaign is different from others, because it doesn’t rely on trends or approvals from donors before speaking authentically and boldly on the issues that matter most.”
Early voting for Nebraska’s May 12 primary election has already started. The general election is Nov. 3.
