Democratic strategist James Carville warned Wednesday that anti-Israel activists aligned with Democrats could damage the party politically, while insisting that “most” antisemites “are not Democrats.”
Carville said during an appearance on Jim Acosta’s podcast that he fears the increasingly bitter divide over Israel and antisemitism could hurt Democrats electorally and morally if the party is seen as tolerating hatred.
“This antisemitic stuff, it’s sickening man! It’s a real problem,” Carville said. “It’s not a made-up problem. It’s a real, real, real definitely problem, and it’s getting worse.”
He argued that while some anti-Israel activists are aligned with Democrats, many are not members of the party, despite public perceptions tying them to Democrats during campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
“And the fact that there are some Democratic-aligned people, most of them are not Democrats, all right?” Carville said.
“That’s when it would drive me crazy, when they were protesting Joe Biden at Columbia, and we thought they were saying, ‘Hey, hey, ho ho, genocide Joe must go.’ And the Democrats were getting blamed for that. A lot of these people are not Democrats. Understand that.”
The longtime Democratic strategist also warned that the loudest anti-Israel voices were overshadowing the broader party.
“I don’t want to be part of a political party that tolerates hatred, or sometimes encourages it,” Carville said.
“I don’t think that’s where the majority of Democrats are, to be fair, but certainly not where the majority Democratic officeholders are,” he continued. “But these loudmouths are getting heard above everybody else. And this is not a good idea. This is a terrible idea.”
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The comments came as Democrats continue to grapple with internal divisions over Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack and Israel’s military response in Gaza. The issue has fueled protests on college campuses and sharp disputes inside the Democratic coalition over U.S. support for Israel.
Carville, who has long identified as a staunch supporter of Israel, said criticism of the Israeli government should not be conflated with hostility toward the country or Jewish people.
“Attack the government of Israel all you want to. I don’t like it. I can’t stand it,” Carville said. “But I like the state of Israel. You can’t conflate the regime with the people.”
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Carville also lamented the collapse of past peace efforts in the Middle East and said he believes reconciliation remains possible.
“I love Israel. I don’t get it,” Carville said. “And I don’t have anything against them. I like Palestinian people. That’s some of the nicest people I know.”
“If people spent as much time, and it could have been reconciled, Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak and this thing totally under control,” Carville said. “The neocons killed it, we ought to go back to it.”
