Hernández Declines to Call Gaza War Genocide, Breaking With Rivals
Other Dems in the CA14 race back the label as Hernandez strikes a more measured stance; Alameda is poaching its next city manager from another city in the county; More 'Dro weirdness
☕️MORNING BUZZ
Vol. VI, No. 1,239
54 days to June Primary
—Congressional candidate Melissa Hernández sidestepped a question about whether Israel’s military actions in Gaza constitute genocide during a candidate forum Wednesday night.
The question, posed by a moderator with Indivisible Tri-Valley, asked the four candidates seeking to replace Rep. Eric Swalwell in the East Bay’s 14th Congressional District to signal their position with a show of hands.
Fellow Democratic candidates Aisha Wahab, Matt Ortega, and Carin Elam all raised their hands, indicating they believe Israel’s actions amount to genocide. Hernández did not.
Instead, she offered a nuanced response, affirming Israel’s right to defend itself following the October 2023 attacks while also criticizing the scale of destruction in Gaza.
“I want to add a little bit to this because I think it’s important, besides a yes or no, and answer, as a democracy Israel had the right to defend itself and after the terrorist attacks in October a few years ago and the right to secure the release of hostages,” she said.
“But, however, the destruction into Gaza has gone too far and the people are paying the costs and so are the civilians.”
Ortega, easily the most vocal candidate in the early stages of this primary, later skewered Hernàndez’s response.
“It is quite remarkable to answer a yes or no question with a statement and still say nothing at all,” Ortega said. “Hard to fault the public for its disillusionment with politicians.”
Hernández’s position diverges from the Alameda County Democratic Party, whose central committee voted in November 2023 to condemn Israel’s actions and label them as genocide and ethnic-cleansing. She is an elected member of the central committee.
While describing the conflict as genocide is not a particularly controversial stance in the heavily Democratic 14th District—which includes Hayward, the Tri-Valley, and the Tri-Cities.
—Opposing Israel is no longer a third-rail in Democratic Party politics. Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election in large part for his support of Palestine.
Instead, Hernández’s approach could signal openness to support from pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
In other races across the county involving Muslim candidates and those opposing Israel, AIPAC and, in some cases, cryptocurrency-backed PACs have funded efforts opposing them. Whether these groups will engage in the 14th District primary race is unclear.
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—More inside:
COUNTY NEWS: Haubert vows to fight transparency bill targeting supervisors’ discretionary funds.
CITY NEWS: San Leandro councilmember seeks removal of his misconduct investigation links from city website.
Alameda mayor expresses skepticism about enacting an ICE-free zone on the island.
Alameda is poised to poach its next city manager from another Alameda County city.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Form 497 large campaign contributions filed on April 8.
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