How Democrats Lost Their Way on Gaza

Surrendering to far-left voices and selective media outrage distorted debate and created dangerous infighting.

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A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a pro-Palestinian rally at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., October 10, 2026.

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

There has been much public handwringing in the Democratic foreign policy establishment in recent months over Gaza policy. The party’s establishment and progressive factions were engaging in vicious finger-pointing about the Gaza war and America’s relationship with Israel even before the release of Biden adviser Brett McGurk’s new book about the October 7 hostages.

Biden confidants such as former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan strike me as decent and principled men. While in office, both evinced frustration, publicly and privately, about the twisted discourse in Washington policy circles and the prejudiced media coverage of the Gaza war — and how that affected Hamas’s strategic calculus at critical junctures.

LH

About the Author

Ludovic Hood

Ludovic Hood, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, served as a U.S. diplomat focused on the Middle East from 2006 to 2026.

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