Iowa Democratic Party demands resignation of student leaders after anti-Israel statements

The Iowa Democratic Party is demanding the resignations of several University of Iowa Democratic student leaders after they drafted and signed a letter supporting Palestine in the war between Hamas and Israel.

The letter from the University Democrats at Iowa included “problematic anti-semitic slogans,” according to the state party, such as “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”

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“Let’s be very clear. That is a call for Jewish genocide and we wholly condemn that offensive language,” party Chairwoman Rita Hart said in a statement. “The Iowa Democratic Party stands with the innocent civilians, Israeli and Palestinian, that have had their lives ruined by the terrorist group Hamas.”

Hart said the party is demanding the resignations of those who signed the letter, including Vice President Kiana Shevling-Major, Secretary Olivia Martin, and Treasurer Matthew Charles, according to the Daily Iowan.

Shevling-Major told the Daily Iowan that the phrase “from the river to the sea” referred to her support for Palestinians “who are currently being held hostage in their own land, from the river of Jordan to the sea of the Mediterranean.” She said the statement was not intended to infer support for the genocide of Israelis but rather to advocate the freedom of Palestinians.

The university Democrats at Iowa later corrected its original statement by ending it with the phrase “May every Palestinian live long and free.” Shevling-Major said the change came following backlash from social media users and a request for retraction from the Johnson County Democrats and multiple Iowa state representatives.

Both the original and updated statements were removed from social media, with the updated version being taken down less than an hour after it was posted.

“I refuse to apologize for supporting Palestine,” Shevling-Major said. “I refuse to stop calling out oppression when I see it. I refuse to be silenced, and I will continue to use my platform to advocate for the human rights of those being denied them, wherever they may be.”

Across the Hawkeye State, the Iowa State University College Democrats wrote a letter to the Iowa Democratic Party on Thursday informing them that the college group would be disaffiliating with the state party. The ISU College Democrats said their decision was motivated by several factors, “one of which is the way the IDP has treated the University of Iowa Democrats.”

“We believe in the importance of unity and solidarity among college Democratic clubs across the state, and the recent events involving the University of Iowa Democrats have deeply troubled us,” the Iowa State group said. “It is essential for us to align ourselves with an organization that upholds the values of inclusivity, respect, and fairness.”

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The war between Israel and Hamas has led to an increase in pro-Palestinian protests and calls for a ceasefire on university campuses across the United States. Critics of a ceasefire, including President Joe Biden, have repeated that Israel has a right to defend itself, a message the president repeated when he visited Israel earlier this month in a show of support for the longtime U.S. ally.

Days later, Biden rejected the idea of even considering talking about a ceasefire until Hamas releases the more than 200 hostages, including at least 30 Americans, it is holding captive in Gaza.