New York Democratic Candidate Says Israel ‘Is Not A Jewish Democracy’ In Debate
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Democratic congressional candidate Antonio Delgado stunned the crowd when he said during a debate Monday in New York’s Hudson Valley that Israel “is not a Jewish democracy” because of its settlements, the New York Post reported.
“As currently constructed, you know, Israel is not a Jewish democracy. Those settlements make it so that it can’t be. So, we’ve got to have a two-state solution,” Delgado said.
Delgado’s opponent, Republican incumbent Rep. John Faso, sounded surprised, according to the Post.
“Israel is not a democracy? Israel is a strong democracy,” he answered back during the debate in Albany. “It is a vibrant democracy. It has a vibrant free enterprise system. It has a vibrant agricultural system, culture. Israel is a democracy.”
Delgado said he stood by his statement in a rebuttal.
“I said it is not a Jewish democracy,” he said. “Meaning that given the fact that we have settlements currently in the region, it is not deemed a nation of Jewish democracy until we deal with the settlements. Until we deal with the settlements we will have that issue.”
Delgado tried to clarify his remarks in a statement to Jewish Insider: “As I made clear in the debate and in my statements throughout this campaign, I have a deep personal and family connection to the state of Israel. As a member of Congress, I will do everything in my power to ensure it’s security is safeguarded, which is also profoundly in America’s national interest. I am committed to a two-state solution—a Jewish state of Israel and a sovereign Palestinian State—because it is the only way for Israel to fulfill its own aspirations to remain a Jewish democracy for future generations.”
The race between Delgado and Faso is close — the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Faso is in the lead by 1 percentage point.
“He clearly misspoke, he just screwed up. The Republicans will jump on this,” a Democratic insider told the Post.
Zionist Organization of America president Mort Klein told the Post that Delgado was “absurdly wrong. Everyone in Israel, including Arabs and Christians,have a right to vote and fully participate in Israeli society including being members of the Knesset.”
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
