Palestinians love their lives and their families. Let’s show them our love this Valentine’s Day.
Americans and their representatives in government need to learn more about the Palestinian cause. Help us spread the word!
On Wednesday, If Americans Knew hosted a TwitterStorm to educate NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang about the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights.
It was such a simple campaign, and so well-received, that we thought, “why not extend the opportunity to more politicians?”
So here’s the plan: for Valentine’s Day (and Valentine’s Monday), we’re making available a set of tweets similar to those from the Yang drive – so you can tweet your legislators.
The tweets are below for you to copy and paste!
Is it worth the effort?
Thanks to our many faithful followers – that is to say, the many advocates for the rights of the Palestinian people – Wednesday’s message went out, loud and clear. #HumanityFirst tweets to Andrew Yang were viewed over 1.2 million times!
Will Andrew Yang’s mind be changed by this TwitterStorm? Probably not. Did the campaign fail? DEFINITELY NOT.
Here’s why, and here’s the power of social media: Yang wasn’t the only recipient. Over 850,000 people got BDS tweets on their Twitter feeds! Even if our main target doesn’t budge, American voters hold the real power (at least in theory). American voters are the ones who need to learn about BDS and the Palestinian cause.
(Our government’s Israel connection also hurts Americans: It takes money and jobs away from needy Americans, implicates us in injustice, involves us in tragic wars, and funds a country that spies on us, tried to sink a US Navy ship, and sells our technology to competitors.)
It matters!
Let’s always keep in sight the fact that Palestinians are real people who have endured unspeakable injustice. Everyone has been touched by the death, serious injury, imprisonment, or humiliation of a loved one. Many have watched family members die due to lack of access to medical care. Many mothers have lost sons and daughters in a senseless act of state violence.
These daily tragedies are just the top layer of the ongoing adversity that Palestinians have suffered for decades.
US legislators hold in their hands the power to make a difference – and we hold the power to vote them in or out of office. Congress approves $3.8 billion a year in aid to Israel. That money subsidizes the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.
Here’s the process (it’s simple!)
- If you don’t already know your Congress members’ names, you can easily look them up here.
- One by one, look them up by name on Twitter (it’s best to start with “rep” or “senator” to locate them)
- When you get to each one’s Twitter page, click “Tweet.” Put a period before the @ to let all of your followers see the message (for example, .@SenatorRomney)
- Then just copy and paste from the sample tweet list below. If you want to really rock the Twittersphere, send each of the tweets to all 3 of your legislators!
- Feel free to tweet us @ifamericansknew and tell us the good news when you’re finished!
Sample tweets, just copy and paste:
Send some love and hope to Palestine today – demand that Israel give meaningful help during the pandemic! Israel has a surplus of vaccines, Palestinians have almost none. #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3pnrX4l
Do a good deed this #ValentinesDay. Support justice for Palestinians in the Int’l Criminal Court. The US needs to get out of the way. Israel should not have impunity! http://iakn.us/3q2DXK2
The people of Palestine need to know we care. BDS (Boycott Divest Sanction) seeks for Palestinians the same rights as the rest of humanity. It worked for apartheid South Africa! #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3jKMqz9
Israel is in breach of multiple int’l laws every single day. This #ValentinesDay show Palestinians some love: support their right to equality and self-determination. Support BDS. http://iakn.us/36NMTen
Israel has the 8th strongest army in the world (US aid is $7,000 a minute). Palestinians have no military. Palestinians love life, but Israel is killing them by the thousands.Stop Israel’s blank check! #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3piTF2g
#ValentinesDay factoid: Did you know that Israeli human rights org @btselem recently declared Israel an apartheid state? The US shouldn’t support an apartheid state. Better to boycott it, yes? http://iakn.us/3oREQDK
#ValentinesDay PSA: Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) is not antisemitic. It has nothing to do with Jewishness. It has everything to do with justice for Palestinians. Support BDS. #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3oZEZ80
Show some love to Palestinians today. Support BDS, a nonviolent strategy to gain human rights for Palestinians – freedom from oppression, freedom to live on their land. Is that asking too much? #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/2BMhKvN
A thought for #ValentinesDay: South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu supports the BDS (Boycott Divest Sanction) for Palestinian rights. He is a wise and loving man. http://iakn.us/3b41ROT
On #ValentinesDay, what simpler way to express love for fellow human beings than the words of South African President Nelson Mandela: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”? http://iakn.us/3q3hJaE
The opposite of “love your neighbor”: over 600K Israelis live illegally on Palestinian land & make life hell for Palestinians. Israeli military & gov’t are complicit. So is the US. Stop the blank check to Israel! #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3tWRFjN
PSA for #ValentinesDay: did you know that Israel has destroyed over 800K Palestinian-owned olive trees? Palestinians need to make a living. They need justice. BDS fights for both. http://iakn.us/3aHqfWf
Children need love & protection. Israel has arrested over 50K Palestinian children. Many are subject to torture. BDS fights the detention & torture of children. It’s the least we can do. #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3rwSqOq
On #ValentinesDay, do you believe in liberty and justice for all? Israel has detained over 800K Palestinians. Many are held without charge or legal representation, many are tortured. BDS fights that. http://iakn.us/2YSk5gq
On #ValentinesDay, let’s help make the world a little kinder. Please read about how Israel has destroyed the Palestinian economy. BDS fights for equality and human rights for Palestinians. http://iakn.us/39VQuco
Hot tip on #ValentinesDay: mainstream media doesn’t tell Americans the facts about Israel. The Israel lobby paints Israel as victim and Palestinians as violent. Learn the truth and help bring a just peace to the Holy Land. https://bit.ly/3pY9RY5
#ValentinesDay factoid: Israeli forces have killed 2,172 children & injured multitudes more, using our $10 mill/day (Israel receives over half of all US military aid) – see the facts & then speak out #ValentinesDay http://iakn.us/3cThnzA
What the world needs now is love! Please learn the real facts and stats about Israel-Palestine – & the American connection. The US subsidizes ethnic cleansing. Somebody has to make it stop. #ValentinesDay https://ifamericansknew.org/
There’s not enough love in Washington. Too many politicians cave to the Israel lobby. Will you? Voters are watching. We hope you’ll do the right thing: support BDS, support Int’l Criminal Court. #ValentinesDay https://iakn.us/3tBarx2
On #ValentinesDay, remember: BDS (Boycott Divest Sanction) is nonviolent. BDS uses economic pressure, not military pressure to bring justice. Israel kills – BDS doesn’t. It’s time to change direction! http://iakn.us/3jrIL9a
The number of Palestinian women in Israeli prison cells is rising. There are currently over 40 Palestinian women in Israeli detention. #ValentinesDay https://bit.ly/3dhUK8p
Israeli forces fatally shot an innocent Palestinian woman in Jerusalem in September 2019 Where is the love? #ValentinesDay Read: http://bit.ly/3qjvcLN
Israeli forces use $10 mill/day of American dollars. Where is the love for Americans? #ValentinesDay (Israel is slated to get over half of all US military aid) – read the staggering facts! https://bit.ly/3rRz1rH
The killing of Palestinians is not new. We have laws on our books – the Leahy Laws – that enable us to withhold aid to countries that commit human rights abuses, yet, US politicians refuse to cut off military support. #ValentinesDay https://bit.ly/3u59P39
What does #ValentinesDay mean for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip? Read: https://iakn.wpmudev.host/what-valentines-day-means-in-gaza-palestine/
Since U.S. media provide very little information, if any, about Palestinians who have been killed, we are producing videos about some of these tragic, largely hidden victims. Where is #ValentinesDay love? Watch 8 short videos about 8 short lives https://bit.ly/3dcZuvF
The U.S. provides Israel nearly $10.5 million in military aid per day, giving the Palestinians $0 in military aid. Where is the #ValentinesDay love for Palestinians? For information on the over $10 million/day to Israel, see https://ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html
