Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips on Jan. 22. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh February 19, 2024

Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a recent podcast interview that he’s sickened by the loss of life in Gaza. He blamed Biden for failing to prevent the crisis and resolve the conflict.

“I cannot stand what I’m seeing,” Phillips, who is Jewish, said in a lengthy exchange about the Israel-Hamas war on the Bad Faith podcast, posted online last Thursday. “This is the most heartbreaking, horrifying, disgusting visuals I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

Phillips, 55, was one of the first Jewish members of Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza in November. In the interview, Phillips recounted the death of his father, who was killed in the Vietnam War when Phillips was six months old, saying it impacted his compassion to correct flawed policies and advocate for peace. “I think about him every damn day,” he said, showing his father’s dog tag he wears under his shirt. “About this poor Jewish kid from St. Paul, Minnesota, that just wanted to be self-sufficient and have a chance for his kid and his wife. And he lost his life halfway around the world fighting for what?”

Pressure on Biden has been building in the Democratic Party’s progressive flank for months. Sympathy for Palestinians has also risen — particularly among younger Democrats and people of color — as the death toll mounts in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, a response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. The Biden administration is reportedly considering recognizing the establishment of a Palestinian state after the hostages are released and the war ends. The Israeli cabinet rejected the plan on Sunday, saying it would give Palestinians “a prize” for the Oct. 7 massacre. 

Phillips said Biden shares the blame with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Believe me. I’m sick of it,” he said. “I’m not going to tolerate it. And I’m not part of a system any longer that is going to reward people who want to stick around forever and put their self-interests over our collective interest.”

Phillips said he would unilaterally recognize a state of Palestine if elected as president. “I do envision a Palestinian state with Jewish people living in it, just as there’s a Jewish state with Muslim Palestinians living in it,” he added. 

Phillips is on the ballot in the upcoming Feb. 27 primary in Michigan. Momentum has been growing for a campaign to vote “uncommitted” as a vote of protest to Biden. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and former Jewish Rep. Andy Levin, both Democrats, endorsed the effort, called “Listen to Michigan.”

Earlier this month, Biden signed an executive order to punish Israeli settlers implicated in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The order was seen as an effort to bolster flagging support for Biden among Arab Americans. 

On the podcast, Phillips engaged in a testy exchange with the host, Briahna Joy Gray, who served as the national spokesperson of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2020, about the existence of a Jewish state in the land of Israel. “I am surprised by the lack of empathy of progressives relative to the Jewish people and the state of Israel,” Phillips said. “I’m a Jewish man running for president of the United States of America who wants to recognize the state of Palestine.”

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