Edwards explained the controversial January vote as a protest of sorts against unnecessary political posturing, indicating her belief that multilateral partnerships could better address these conflicts. “It was really just the wrong time for something like that, when the United Nations had already acted,” she said. “Frankly, I think that the last thing that we need is the U.S. Congress directing the day to day of foreign policy.”

Edwards also points to a 150-person town-hall meeting, held the same week as the present vote, and featuring experts on Israel-Palestine, as evidence that she is engaging the entire district. “I invited an Israeli human rights organization and another nonprofit group that was doing humanitarian work on the ground in Gaza,” she says. “We had a really interesting discussion, and I think I received really positive feedback from that.” 

The town hall, however, only made things worse in the eyes of more conservative Jews in Edwards’ district, who say they would like to see her challenged by a black candidate more sympathetic to Israel in her district’s 2010 primary. State Delegate Herman Taylor has been floated as a potential challenger, and some see parallels with the 2002 primary losses of two black Democrats—Earl Hilliard of Alabama and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia.  Both were accused of being anti-Israel, and McKinney vocally blamed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, for her loss.

But just as President Obama is sending a new signal to the Middle East with his assertion, in Cairo, that “we will say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs,” a similar change in the domestic political calculus may mean that same forces that bounced Hilliard and McKinney might not apply. This is particularly true for Edwards, who took office last summer after soundly defeating the AIPAC-friendly incumbent Al Wynn. She rode into office on the backs of progressive organizations such as Blue America PAC and Web sites such as OpenLeft, which endorsed and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for her.  And the same lefty, Web-roots forces that helped elect Obama are now pushing back on her behalf.

J Street, the liberal think tank that promotes a “pro-peace, pro-Israel” agenda, and endorsed Edwards in her 2008 primary, rushed to her defense with an e-mail to supporters when the first reports of the challenge emerged. Jeremy Ben-Ami, the group’s president, wrote to J Street’s mostly Jewish base: “This is exactly how—for decades—established pro-Israel groups have enforced right-wing message discipline on Israel in Congress. They intimidate Members of Congress, particularly junior ones, and threaten to fund a challenge. But not this time—and not to our friend Donna Edwards.”

In the first four hours after the e-mail went out, J Street raised $15,000 from 270 contributors, and as of this writing, had collected $30,000 from around 600 contributors, many of whom came from the Maryland area, a spokesperson for J Street told The Root.

“We decided we’re not going to let them get away with it this time,” she said.

Edwards said she had been in touch with J Street regarding their support, and maintains good relationships with J Street and many liberal nonprofits for both fundraising and expertise on issues from Israel to Iran and beyond.

And she is still sure that she has made the right call on Middle East peace: “Across the board and throughout the region, they want security; they don’t want to live in violence anymore, and they are looking at the United States’ leadership as an active partner to provide peace.”

Dayo Olopade is Washington reporter for The Root.