Candidates supporting Palestinian rights are under attack Dear Email, The results of recent Democratic Party primaries have been rough. Congressional candidates who either support Palestinian rights, or who at least stopped didn’t advocate for blind and unconditional support for Israeli government policies, have lost their elections. This includes Members who are well-known to our community, like Marie Newman, Donna Edwards, and Andy Levin, who were victims of tens of millions of dollars injected by major electoral political committees (Super PACs) affiliated with Zionist organizations. Mainly the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). These results prompted a spokesman for a leading Zionist organization to brag that "It has become crystal clear that being anti-Israel will have a negative effect on a candidacy." This is a critical moment to fight back, the upcoming elections are one of the focal points in our upcoming Virtual Palestine Advocacy Days 2022 that will take place on September 19-23. One of our themes this year will be “Palestine/Israel in Domestic U.S. Politics, understanding the gains and losses of pro-Palestinian Members and Candidates.” We will discuss the shifting public discourse around Palestine and AIPAC’s backlash to the progress we’ve made in recent months as they’ve engaged in massive election spending to defeat critics of Israel in an attempt to reimpose a climate of fear and silence in Congress. We will also focus on how the Palestinian-rights community in the US can fight back and engage with Congress this upcoming year. If you have not registered yet, click here to register for free. While Zionist organizations may have achieved notable successes in the current Democratic electoral battle, they are not unbeatable! They were unable to defeat other candidates strongly supportive of Palestinian rights, such as members of the House of Representatives: Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum, André Carson, and Cori Bush. Progressive candidate Summer Lee was able to win the Democratic primary for the 12th district in Pennsylvania, despite the support of the Zionist organizations for her opponent. It’s also worth noting that some believe that the amount of brazenness in interfering in the primaries on the basis of the position on Israel will make Israel a more controversial and divisive issue. Besides, the history of AIPAC and right-wing Zionist organizations colluding with Donald Trump has linked them in the consciousness of many Americans as racist and hateful forces that are an extension of one another. This is further validated by AIPAC’s backing of 109 Republicans who voted on January 6, 2021, to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, simply promoting the big lie that the presidency was stolen from Trump. We have a real fight on our hands against those who support Israeli occupation and apartheid, but it’s a fight we can win. We simply have to be committed to organizing ourselves properly, utilizing our resources, and building alliances in support of justice. Together, we can shift U.S. policy and support Palestinian freedom.  During last year’s advocacy days, we broke a record by having hundreds of constituents participate from all 50 states. This year we are expecting more than a thousand supporters to participate. Watch our video above to learn more and then click here to register. It’s virtual, it’s free, and it’s the best way to make sure our government hears our calls for peace and justice for Palestine. |
