Friends,
As Kamala Harris’ mother told her, we exist in the context of all in which we live, and what came before us.
In that spirit, I wanted to share something about Harris’ words on Palestinian rights at the DNC – something which I now realize may not have come across on TV.
You see, it wasn’t just that the Vice President delivered full-throated support to Palestinian rights to freedom, safety and self-determination alongside her commitment to Israel’s security – it was the truly electric response her words received in the room.
Throughout the arena, a stadium filled with more than 20,000 people leapt to their feet, cheering wildly and delivering absolutely thunderous applause.
These weren’t just any people: This was a convention filled with committed, mainstream Biden/Harris delegates. A gathering filled with core volunteers, elected officials and donors from every state in the country.
For those of us who have long called for the party to embrace a clear commitment to Israeli security paired with an equal commitment to Palestinian rights – and to then put meat on the bones when it comes to policy – this was truly a significant moment.
Rejecting a zero-sum approach to Israel-Palestine isn’t just good policy, it’s wildly popular mainstream politics as well. Just as Kamala Harris has reshaped the political landscape seemingly overnight, so too does she have the opportunity to embrace fresh policy on Israel-Palestine with confidence and compassion, and J Street will advocate for this to continue.
Friends: Pressing for this popular, nuanced, balanced approach – and rejecting an “us or them” perspective – has been core to our work for over a decade. If it’s important to you, please help fund it. Every contribution strengthens our movement >>
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We don't have right-wing mega-donors funding our work, we have you. Thank you, sincerely, for your consideration.
Yours,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street President
