Democratic leadership committed a political blunder by trying to sneak an additional $1 billion in funding for Israel (on top of the $3.8 they get annually already) into a bill to raise the debt ceiling. This was funding that was guaranteed to pass in the NDAA bill, so it was just political grandstanding that blew up in their face.
But many progressives saw the overwhelming vote in favor of the funding (420-9) as a defeat for the broader cause of changing the discourse on Palestine in Congress. I beg to differ.
In my latest piece for +972 Magazine, I argue this was a clear victory on several levels for Palestinian rights in Washington, and for opening more space for pro-Palestinian voting on Capitol Hill.