J Street asked several democratic candidates for president to comment on aid to Israel. Their responses reflect the growing movement in the US to condition aid on treatment of Palestinians – but don’t get too excited.
A Palestinian father in East Jerusalem had to tear down his home after he received a demolition order from Israeli authorities. He said: “I built the house stone by stone and slowly completed it.” Israeli claimed it was ‘too near the US Embassy.’ See video of the demolition…
The Israel Lobby has America so well-trained that everyone self-censors: mainstream media, think tanks, politicians (of course), universities, courts, even K-12 curriculum editors play by the rules.
Israeli settlers storm mosque, beat rabbi, attack farmers… soldiers abduct & injure Palestinians… Palestinian prisoner enters 100th day of hunger strike, etc
Palestinian children are regularly detained, tortured, and prosecuted by Israel. Few Congress members are motivated to make it stop.
Israel uses benign terms to hide the true nature of its plans to evict tens of thousands of indigenous Bedouin from their homes, many of whom have been uprooted at least once before. The reality is that this is part of Israel’s overarching, 70-year-long ethnic cleansing project to create a Jewish state.
Weekly detailed report on Israeli violations of human rights in occupied Palestinian territory Oct. 10 – 16, 2019: Israeli forces Injured civilians, demolished homes, Israeli settlers rampaged, etc
Overall, Bernie Sanders has taken the boldest stand for Palestinian human rights, but has pulled back to “safe” positions more than once; Elizabeth Warren has a history of support for Israel despite its long, systemic record of human rights abuses, but seems willing to respond to pressure from voters. Neither has advocated for full Palestinian rights and justice. See a detailed report on Sanders’ and Warrens’ position on Palestine…
On the critical issue of Israel/Palestine, Democratic presidential hopefuls reveal a strong pro-Israel leaning that does not match the sentiments of a huge swath of Democratic voters.
Our presidential candidates are neglecting the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity. Instead, they favor Israel, a state with Palestinian blood on its hands. We must pressure the candidates to engage with this subject, and to come out on the side of justice.