Summer Lee Proves That “Opposing Genocide Is Lawful Politics and Lawful Protection”

Politics tamfitronics

Summer Lee was one of only 37 House Democrats who cast brave votes last Saturday against providing $14.3 billion in unconditional military support to Israel. The Pennsylvania e book’s motive for breaking with President Biden and House Democratic leaders on the issue was sound; since last fall she has been an ardent champion of a ceasefire to end Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—and has resulted in a crisis so severe that the enclave is now on the brink of mass starvation.

Advocates for peace and justice argued that restricting U.S. armed forces support to Israel could break the cycle of violence, which escalated following the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel, and which now threatens to turn into a regional war. Lee also identified that a “no” vote was the right response to what she has described as the “undeniably unconscionable” conditions in Gaza, even though most of her Democratic and Republican colleagues have been voting “yes” on another measure supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies.

Nonetheless Lee’s “no” vote came within the context of an immediate electoral reality that set her apart from her colleagues. After having been nominated two years ago by the narrowest of margins, she faced what was expected to be another serious Democratic primary challenge. Her opponent, local elected official Bhavini Patel, made Lee’s advocacy for a ceasefire and a new U.S. approach to Israel and Palestine a central focus of her campaign. Aided by more than $600,000 in super PAC spending by hedge-fund billionaire Jeff Yass, Patel claimed that she would be a “solid partner to our president,” which many interpreted as a reference to Biden’s support for Israel. That made Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary election, coming just days after the support vote, a critical test for Lee and ceasefire supporters more broadly.

Extra cautious and compromising politicians may have avoided a supposedly controversial vote on the eve of a high-profile primary. Nonetheless Lee went ahead with her judgment of right and wrong.

And then she won her primary by a landslide.

Lee’s 61-39 victory margin was a strong rebuke to those who believe that progressive advocates for a cease-fire and justice for Palestinians are necessarily weak in this year’s Democratic primaries.

“[There] have been many people who wanted to convince us that we could not be pro-peace and win in this district,” said Lee at her victory rally Tuesday evening, where she portrayed her win as a rejection of “the politics of the past” and spoke of a movement that claims “we can ‘get peace from Pittsburgh to Palestine.’”

Lee’s win resulted from many factors, including the fact that she has been a highly engaged and effective member of Congress, who has focused on constituent service and bringing infrastructure funding to her western Pennsylvania district. It also resulted from the former state legislator’s building of large coalitions within the district, as well as the strong support she received from organized labor, and the Working Families Party and Justice Democrats. Local elected progressives, such as Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, lined up in support of her. She even received something of a boost from Biden who, during a pre-primary visit to Pittsburgh, included Lee’s name on a list of members of Congress “who had my support” in fights for infrastructure and other domestic priorities.

Still, there was no indication that the Gaza issue hovered over the primary. When Lee rallied with U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other supporters on Sunday, much of the discussion was about the threat posed by outside PAC money to progressive Democrats who support a ceasefire. Although pro-Israel groups that mounted a major push against Lee two years ago did not spend heavily against her this year, pre-primary headlines still suggested that “Summer Lee’s primary exposes Democrats’ divides on Israel” and the “‘Squad’ member’s primary tests shifting politics of Israel.”

Since the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and allied groups have talked of spending as much as $100 million to defeat cease-fire backers this year, significant challenges to peace and justice advocates like Lee have for months drawn considerable media attention. And Yass’s PAC spending against Lee offered a reminder that big money can and does flow into races where progressives, particularly members of the Squad and their pro-cease-fire allies, such as US Representatives Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York, face strong challengers. Bowman and Bush, who joined Lee in voting against unconditional military support for Israel on Saturday, are by no means out of the woods in their primaries, which will take place, respectively, in June and August.

Nonetheless Lee had a message Tuesday evening for pundits who worry about the political consequences of taking principled votes for peace and justice in the Middle East. Alongside with a video from her boisterous victory rally, the freshly renominated representative tweeted: “Opposing genocide is good politics and good policy. #CeasefireNow.”

Originally reported by thenation.com. Adapted for our readers.