Progressive Democrats eke out minor gains in draft party platform

A victory by progressives is the inclusion of language explicitly opposing the expansion of Israeli settlements. An early draft of the Democratic Party platform leaked on Wednesday night hints at some minor gains by the progressive wing of the party but falls short of endorsing many of the more contentious ideals of that camp such as defunding the police, legalising cannabis, and curtailing military aid to Israel. The 80-page document obtained by the Politico news service includes a nod to former candidate Bernie Sanders’s signature issue, Medicare for All, despite such language being shunned by a “unity” task force of the two rival wings of the party in the last couple of weeks. The Sanders camp failed, however, to secure language in the document referring to Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank and a call for placing conditions on military aid to the country. #PlatformForPalestine @JvpAction @AMPalestine https://t.co/Cb6oo3Hoex — Jewish Voice for Peace July 23, 2020 Sanders’s staff were also said to be pleased with the less hawkish foreign policy language in the new platform, including a call to wind down the “open-ended wars” in the Middle East and to de-escalate the conflict with Iran.