Howard Dean is in trouble with the far left wing of the Democratic party—he’s not pro-Palestinian enough for them. (Hat tip: Ethel Carol.)

“Howard Dean could be the worst of both worlds for progressives,” said Norman Solomon, a columnist and figure on the left on the West Coast. “He’s not a true progressive, but he’s been tarred as being this kind of Birkenstock leftist. What’s the payoff here?” …

Ironically, the left-wing opposition to Dean is mainly organizing via the Internet — the tool that catapulted Dean to the top ranks of Democratic contenders. A Chicago activist who says he donated $500 to Dean’s campaign — the average Dean donation in the second quarter was $112 — has gathered almost 600 signatures on an online petition expressing “deep reservations” about Dean’s Middle East positions, which signers consider too pro-Israel. The petition was posted August 1 and is hosted at the Web site www.stop-us-military-aid-to-israel.net.

“As members of the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, The Green Party, Progressives, Independents, and other parties interested in your candidacy, we would like to express our deep reservations regarding your stated positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” says the petition. Citing an interview Dean gave to the Forward in November, in which he said his view on Middle East peace is “closer to Aipac’s view” than to the view of Peace Now, the petition practically begs Dean to say it ain’t so.

“As voters who wish to support your candidacy but have serious concerns about your vision for the Middle East, we respectfully request that a clarification be made on the issues cited above,” the petition states.

The moving force behind the petition, Chicago statistician Jon Bailey, said it grew out of a Yahoo discussion group, Dean for Mideast Peace. “There are some people who think Dean is to the right of Bush on this issue,” Bailey told the Forward. Bailey said he gave Dean’s campaign $500, but now he has thrown his support to Kucinich.

“There’s a lot of people who signed the petition who said [to Dean], ‘I gave you money, but you hurt me.’ He didn’t turn out to be what we thought he was,” he said.

Asked by the Forward to comment on the petition, Dean’s campaign was concerned enough about it to respond with a statement in the name of the candidate. “I recognize both the special relationship the United States has with Israel and the legitimate claim of the Palestinian people to a state of their own,” Dean said in the e-mail statement. “I believe agreements satisfying both sides can be reached leading to two states living side by side in security and peace. To get there, Palestinians will have to crack down on terror and take real steps to make democracy work, while Israel will have to give up some settlements and ensure that the Palestinian quality of life improves. If taking this position means I get attacked by people on both sides of the argument, that’s a good sign that I found a middle ground where real compromise and agreement can be reached.”