“We’re at a Turning Point”

Josh Ruebner & Tamar Ghabin, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, June 16th, 2016

Tell DNC & RNC to Put Palestinian Rights in Their Platforms

Last week former Rep. Robert Wexler delivered a banal justification of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians before the Democratic National Convention’s platform drafting committee.

Dr. Cornel West, a member of the committee, respectfully pushed back. “For too long, the Democratic Party has been beholden to AIPAC,” West responded to applause. The party “didn’t take seriously the humanity of Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

But “we’re at a turning point now,” West continued. “And of course it’s going to be a slow one in the Democratic Party, but some of us will be working outside the Democratic Party to make it quicker. And that’s why I support the BDS [movement].”

Cornel West is right. If these conversations are happening at the highest levels of political parties, then we are indeed at a turning point.

And with the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia approaching next month, we have an amazing opportunity to make our voices heard loudly.

Right now, the Democratic Party and Republican Party want to hear from you what they should include in their platforms.

Let’s make sure that support for Palestinian rights is on their agendas!

Submit your testimony to the Republican Party here and to the Democratic Party here.

In your own words, tell the DNC and the RNC that they should support Palestinian self-determination, freedom from Israeli military occupation, justice for refugees denied their right of return, and equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Tell the parties that they should support ending US taxpayer-financed weapons to Israel and back our right to engage in boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns rather than continue to legislate against it.

Let’s show the DNC and the RNC that there is an ocean of support among Americans like you who back Palestinian rights and want them to also.

As a nonprofit organization, we can’t endorse political parties or candidates, but we are excited to let you in on a bit of what we’re planning this summer to make Palestinian rights a crucial issue in this year’s election.

Working with member groups and allied organizations in Cleveland and Philadelphia, we’ll be mobilizing for Palestine contingents in peace and justice protests.

We’ll be organizing forums for convention delegates to learn more about the issue and create safe space within political parties to advocate for Palestinian rights.

And we’ll also be engaging with convention delegates to bring our message of support for Palestinian rights to the floors of the conventions.

But we need your help to make these plans possible. We need donations to print stickers, placards, banners and more to create a large, visible presence for Palestinian rights at the DNC and RNC.