A rift among Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entered the spotlight this week after a group of senators condemned a colleague for statements on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

At a Wednesday news conference, Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, and Jewish community groups railed against a boycott movement pushing for governments to pull investments out of Israel. Latz, who is Jewish, described Gaza as a “poisonous” breeding ground for terrorism.

“Palestinian youth dream of the opportunity to achieve glory and even martyrdom by killing as many Jews as possible,” said Latz. “Is it any wonder that these same children grow up and call their parents after slaughtering innocent concert-goers in the desert to brag about killing 10 Jews?”

Latz was referring to a video released by the Israeli government allegedly showing a Hamas fighter bragging about the number of people he killed during the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. His remarks came the morning activists pushing for divestment, boycotts and sanctions against Israel for its treatment of Palestinians protested at a Minnesota State Board of Investment meeting. Echoing other critics, Latz called the boycott movement antisemitic.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada and the European Union.

Sen. Erin K. Maye Quade, DFL- Apple Valley. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Senate)

In response, Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, and 12 other DFL senators signed a public letter Thursday condemning Latz’s comments, calling them “hateful, prejudicial and demonstrably false.”

“Through his language, Senator Latz assigned nefarious motives to Palestinian children, describing them all as aspiring murderers,” Maye Quade wrote, arguing Latz’s remarks would fuel tensions amid a rise in anti-Muslim and antisemitic violence in the U.S. “His remarks were irresponsible and dangerous.”

Senators who signed the letter included: Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis; Sen. Jen McEwen, DFL-Duluth; Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville; Sen. Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton; Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights; Sen. Liz Boldon, DFL-Rochester; Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul; Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton; Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville; Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury; Sen. Susan Pha, DFL-Brooklyn Park; and Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis.

Latz responded to the letter and criticism Thursday afternoon on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“It’s unfortunate that some are choosing to attack my speech by taking one sense of my remarks out of context,” he said, noting he made it clear he was discussing not “all Palestinian youth, but Gazans taught in Hamas-controlled schools.”

Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park. (Courtesy photo)

Minnesota liberals and progressives have been at odds over the conflict since the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which the Israeli government said killed more than 1,200 people. More than 14,000 have died in Gaza since Israel invaded in retaliation, according to Palestinian estimates.

Days after the Oct. 7 attack, the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America published a statement condemning Israeli oppression of Palestinians, concluding with the controversial pro-Palestenian slogan “From the River, to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” Critics say the slogan is anti-semitic as it calls for the end of the state of Israel, but backers say it’s a call for peace.

Minnesota DFL chairman Ken Martin called the DSA use of the statement appalling and questioned why the group did not immediately acknowledge the Israeli deaths. DSA influence is significant in Minnesota progressive politics, and Sen. Fateh and Sen. Mohamed had the group’s endorsement in the 2022 election.

In response to the controversy from Latz’s Wednesday statements, DFL leadership said party members should avoid “inflammatory rhetoric.”

“All DFLers should set a better example and avoid applying broad generalizations to entire groups of people,” Martin said in a statement. “Part of our values as DFLers is our recognition of the humanity of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”

State investments

Minnesota’s investment board manages about $128.9 billion in assets for the state, much of it in pension programs. Approximately $116.3 million of that is in Israeli bonds and other securities, according to the board, making up about 0.09% of state assets.

It’s not clear exactly how much the support boycott, divest, sanctions movement, or BDS, has in state government, but with Republicans seemingly unified in pro-Israel stance and DFL lawmakers strongly opposed, a change is unlikely.

Latz, along with Maple Grove Republican Sen. Warren Limmer, sponsored “anti-BDS” legislation in 2017, which passed in the Legislature and was signed into law by former Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat.

Minnesota most recently pulled its investments out of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The measure had unanimous support in the Legislature.

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