USPC Statement - Dec 2024
The genocide has to stop! Over 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment since October 7, 2023. Over 100,000 seriously injured, 9,000 Palestinians are held hostage in Israeli prisons, and over 4,000 in administrative detention. Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced over 1.8 million Palestinians, who are now living under severe, inhumane conditions. Recently, the Israeli occupation forces targeted and assassinated the Gaza Soup Kitchen Chef Mahmoud Almadhoun, who had fed Palestinians suffering hunger due to Israel’s blockade of vital food aid. His loss is a devastating reminder of the immense cruelty of the Israeli occupation.
USPC Statement!
The genocide has to stop! Over 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment since October 7, 2023. Over 100,000 seriously injured, 9,000 Palestinians are held hostage in Israeli prisons, and over 4,000 in administrative detention. Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced over 1.8 million Palestinians, who are now living under severe, inhumane conditions.
Recently, the Israeli occupation forces targeted and assassinated the Gaza Soup Kitchen Chef Mahmoud Almadhoun, who had fed Palestinians suffering hunger due to Israel’s blockade of vital food aid. His loss is a devastating reminder of the immense cruelty of the Israeli occupation.
We must advocate for the end of Israeli genocide and occupation of Palestine as passionately as we advocate for the human rights of those living anywhere around the globe.
The USPC condemns the killing of Mahmoud Almadhoun and extends our sincere condolences to his family and the people of Palestine. We demand the appropriate prosecution of those who were involved in his killing, and we call for an end to the illegal Israeli occupation.
May Mahmoud's memory live on as a testament to resilience, justice, and peace!
Photo courtesy of the Gaza Soup Kitchen/Instagram
Candidates Endorsed by USPC
The US Palestinian Council (USPC) board of directors is delighted to stand by and endorse the following candidates: Delia Ramirez, Illinois 3rd district | Donald Beyer VA 8th | David Kim CA 34th district | Ilhan Abdullahi Omar Minnesota's 5th district.
OCTOBER 2024
MEET OUR CANDIDATES
Candidates Endorsed by USPC
The US Palestinian Council (USPC) board of directors is delighted to stand by and endorse the following candidates:
Delia Ramirez, IL 3rd district
Donald Beyer, VA 8th district
David Kim, CA 34th district
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, MN 5th district.
In This Moment: An Arab American Agenda on Palestine
Support an Arab American agenda that protects the rights and respects the identity of Arab Americans at home, and centers Arab American interests and concerns in American foreign policy abroad.
April 2024 (Updated Aug 2024)
JOIN THE CALL FOR JUSTICE
In this Moment: An Arab American Agenda on Palestine
“Support an Arab American agenda on Palestine that protects the rights and respects the identity of Arab Americans at home, and centers Arab American interests and concerns in American foreign policy abroad.”
The events of the past several months have demonstrated a clear disregard for U.S. law and human rights:
After months of relentless Israeli assault on Gaza and military and settler raids in cities and towns across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Biden Administration has given military assistance, and political and diplomatic cover to Israel, enabling and aiding in the unfolding genocide in Gaza.
More than two million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, with more than 40,000 killed and many more injured. Despite the urgency and scale of the humanitarian crisis, the Biden Administration has failed in their response. Their actions has been inadequate and delayed, failing to prevent widespread famine and halt the ongoing massacres.
American citizens have been murdered in the West Bank and Palestinian American citizens with property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been raided by armed settlers and seen their property destroyed. The Biden Administration has failed to protect Americans from Israeli violence or to bring the perpetrators of the violence against Americans to justice.
Settler attacks and military raids on Palestinian refugee camps, towns and cities across the West Bank and East Jerusalem have seen a marked and dangerous increase in past months. Land theft, home demolitions, destruction of natural resources and infrastructure, and the abduction and the killing of Palestinians are ongoing without sufficient American leadership to stop them.
Despite Israel’s proven failure to meet the statutory requirements for entry into the US Visa Waiver Program, the Administration granted them admission. While the VWP requires that Israel ensure that all American citizens be allowed entry without discrimination as to their national origin, religion, or political beliefs, Israel violated that condition before admission and have continued to violate it since their entry into the program.
Notwithstanding the demonstration of respect for our community during the 2020 Biden campaign and some meaningful actions after taking office, the Administration has erased Arab Americans as a constituency in their engagement and outreach. The President has not met with Arab American community leaders, and the Biden Administration has subsumed our community under their Muslim outreach effort, denying us the right to define ourselves as a community or to be represented by our own leadership.
Given these facts, there is deep disappointment and anger among Arab Americans toward the callous neglect we and our concerns have received from this Administration. It is too late to save the more than 40,000 Palestinians killed. However, it’s not too late to save those innocents who will surely perish from bombings, disease, and starvation if the Israeli assault on Gaza is allowed to continue.
We urge the Biden Administration take the following measures both at home and abroad. They will not be enough to undo the enormous damage that’s been done, but they will at least demonstrate to Arab Americans that the Administration is listening and making an effort to restore some of the trust that has been lost.
Home: Protection of the Rights and Respect for the Identity of Arab Americans
Cease comments from Biden Administration officials, including the office of the press secretary, which contribute to a climate where Arab American advocates for Palestinian lives and rights are targeted or harmed.
Defend Arab Americans and publicly speak out against the bullying, harassment, and intimidation they are experiencing, including in the workplace and on college campuses.
Continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes targeting the Arab American community.
Launch a Department of Justice investigation into the brutal force deployed by law enforcement in response to the peaceful pro-Palestinian student protests.
Launch a Department of Education investigation into possible civil rights violations by academic institutions for differential treatment of pro-Palestine protests, including some university’s decisions to request a police response.
Publicly defend the First Amendment rights of Arab Americans, particularly our students, to express their support for Palestinian human rights without being defamed by false charges of antisemitism, charges enabled by a political agenda that seeks to conflate the very real problem of antisemitism with criticism of Israel or Zionism.
Work to hold tech companies accountable for both allowing anti-Arab bigotry on their sites unabated and actively restricting or censoring pro-Palestinian speech on their platforms.
Rescind Israel’s admission into the Visa Waiver Program pending a full investigation of its adherence to the statutory requirements of the program, guaranteeing the equal protection of the rights of American citizens of Arab descent.
Demonstrate understanding and respect for the integrity of our non-sectarian Arab American community by meeting with our leadership and engaging our community as the proud ethnic, not faith-based, constituency that it is.
Abroad: Centering Arab American Interests and Concerns in American Foreign Policy
Secure an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Immediately halt all arms shipments to Israel.
Provide unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people and for the rebuilding of the devastated Palestinian communities.
Secure the return of all hostages and prisoners held without charges.
Secure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from all of Gaza.
Resume and increase funding to UNRWA, the organization most capable of aiding the besieged Palestinian people.
Reject Congressional restrictions on US funding to Palestinians based on potential action they may take at the United Nations (full membership as a state at the UN or pursuing justice via the International Criminal Court) by invoking the national security waiver, if necessary.
Compel Israel stop the violence perpetrated by its forces and settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including ceasing aerial bombardments, nightly raids, mass arrests, administrative detentions, land seizures, expulsions, and home demolitions.
Subject any future military assistance to Israel to strict oversight to ensure that it is fully compliant with US law, international law, and human rights conventions.
Secure justice for Arab American victims of Israeli violence, including the killing of American citizens, by demanding independent investigations and full prosecution of the perpetrators.
Take concrete measures that reaffirm the US does not recognize Israel’s illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories and that the occupation must end to secure a lasting, enduring just peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Take meaningful measures to secure Palestinians’ freedom, equality, and prosperity rooted in full self-determination. Measures must include allowing United Nations Security Council recognition of Palestine as a state, reopening the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, and the PLO mission in Washington.
Cease US military escalations that are threatening the security and stability of the whole region, including the cessation of attacks on sovereign Arab nations.
Work to deescalate the violence at the Lebanese-Israeli border to prevent a broader regional war, demanding Israel respect the territorial integrity of Lebanon.
Endorse an Arab American Agenda for Justice!
Join the Arab American Institute, the American Federation of Ramallah-Palestine, Arab America, the US Palestinian Council, and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in support of a policy agenda that protects the rights and respects the identity of Arab Americans at home, and centers Arab American interests and concerns in American foreign policy abroad.
Primary Election Candidates Endorsed by USPC
The US Palestinian Council (USPC) board of directors is delighted to stand by and endorse Representative Barbra Lee in her run for the US Senate seat representing the state of California in the primary elections.
13 FEB 2024
MEET OUR CANDIDATES
Primary Election Candidates Endorsed by USPC
The US Palestinian Council (USPC) board of directors is delighted to stand by and endorse Representative Barbra Lee in her run for the US Senate seat representing the state of California in the primary elections.
Representative Lee was among the first in Congress to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and continues to lead efforts for a de-escalation of violence and diplomatic solutions for peace, equality, and security in the region. As a national organization, the US Palestinian Council (USPC) is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization that aims to represent, educate, and advocate on issues of concern to Palestinian Americans, strengthen ties between the US and Palestine, and push forward a vision based on liberty, justice, and human rights for all.
USPC Action Alert on Gaza - Jan 2024
Over 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment. Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced over 1.8 million Palestinians, who are now living under severe, inhumane conditions.
South Africa built a genocidal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through well-documented, damming evidence. South Africa’s claims were supported by many countries.
The Biden administration is complicit in the genocide of the Palestinians by providing military, economic, and political support to the far-right government in Israel. The Biden administration has gone …
USPC Action Alert
Stop the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
Over 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment. Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced over 1.8 million Palestinians, who are now living under severe, inhumane conditions.
South Africa built a genocidal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through well-documented, damming evidence. South Africa’s claims were supported by many countries.
The Biden administration is complicit in the genocide of the Palestinians by providing military, economic, and political support to the far-right government in Israel. The Biden administration has gone a step further by claiming there is no evidence of war crimes or genocide in Gaza per Blinken’s statements (such as naming the genocidal case “meritless”), renaming the South African genocidal case.
The AP reported that an Israeli government ministry has drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip’s population of 2.3 million people to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. This has raised the alarm with the UN about Israel’s call to “mass-transfer” Palestinians from Gaza.
The NPR reported that the two far-right ministers, Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich called for the "voluntary migration" of Palestinians out of Gaza and endorsed the construction of Israeli settlements in the Gaza strip. Israeli forces "cannot withdraw from any territory—we are in the Gaza Strip," Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, told reports earlier this month. "Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, but I believe it is also an important thing."
The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and/or the establishment of Israeli settlements within the Gaza strip is unacceptable. The Biden administration has called such rhetoric “inflammatory and irresponsible,” and Vice President Harris has stated that “under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza.” Still, these comments have done little to curb the far-right.
It is key that Congress make it clear that the United States will not allow the forced displacement of Palestinians and cause another tantamount war by uprooting the Palestinians. This is why we support the letter that is being circulated by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD). The letter commends the Biden-Harris administration’s strong opposition to the forced transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza and urges the administration to continue to reiterate the United States’ firm commitment to this position.
Any forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza would only exacerbate the trauma and pain Palestinian civilians in Gaza are already experiencing because of 17 years of siege and this war. The expulsion would cause more regional tension and conflict in the Middle East for decades to come. Israel does not need to become entangled in yet another prolonged occupation, which would take us, the United States, further into the Middle East conflict and complicit in another Palestinian Nakba uprooting. Enough is enough!
Look up your local representatives and act now
USPC Action Alert on Gaza Dec 1, 2023
USPC Action Alert
Stop the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
The aggression has to stop! Currently, over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli government's bombardment and siege of Gaza, including at least 6,000 children. Israeli officials are unleashing "the gates of hell" on Gaza, treating the 2.3 million Palestinians who are confined there in an open-air prison (half of whom are children). We have an urgent need to communicate with our congressional representatives, but before you do, please check out those who have already called for a ceasefire using this ceasefire tracker.
We need to demand that the Biden administration stop supplying the Israeli military with weaponry and demand an immediate ceasefire. This is the only option to put an end to Israel's atrocities, war crimes, and massive assaults on the Palestinian people in Gaza. There is no other way to guarantee the Israeli hostages' release. There is no other means to get much-needed humanitarian aid to the starving Palestinians under the Israeli siege.
Together, we need to act now. We need to end the cycle of violence that has been a result of the 75 years of Israeli occupation. The U.S. should not be complicit in this oppression!
Look up your local representatives and act now
USPC Annual Summary Report
On behalf of the USPC Board, I respectfully share with you our abbreviated version of our 2022 annual report on the significant activities we worked on during 2022.
The second year of President Joe Biden’s presidency never saw the light of day on two key promises made by Biden’s campaign to all of us before election. The first is the promise to reopen the PLO office in Washington, DC and the second is to reopen the shuttered U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, Palestine's de facto U.S. representative office. Meanwhile, we appreciate Biden’s administration fulfilling his other campaign promises of in the following area; refunding of UNRWA, re-engaging with the Palestinians, and the reinstatement of some of the US Aid funding.
Dear Members and Supporters of USPC,
On behalf of the USPC Board, I respectfully share with you our abbreviated version of our 2022 annual report on the significant activities we worked on during 2022.
The second year of President Joe Biden’s presidency never saw the light of day on two key promises made by Biden’s campaign to all of us before election. The first is the promise to reopen the PLO office in Washington, DC and the second is to reopen the shuttered U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, Palestine's de facto U.S. representative office. Meanwhile, we appreciate Biden’s administration fulfilling his other campaign promises of in the following area; refunding of UNRWA, re-engaging with the Palestinians, and the reinstatement of some of the US Aid funding.
Undeterred, the U.S. Palestine Council (USPC) raised the two critical issues with members of the Biden administration at various levels. Additionally, we worked on the following matters:
I. The Killing of Palestinian-American Shireen Abu Akleh
We worked with members of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – and received many signatures on a letter addressed to the State Department, the FBI, and the National Security Council that called upon all key officials to investigate the assassination of American-Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh.
We met or contacted U.S. officials to demand an investigation of Israel’s assassination of Abu Akleh. More importantly, we asked the U.S. authorities to hold those responsible for her assassination accountable and ultimately bring them to justice.
We engaged Congressmen Andre Carson, Bill Pascrell, and others to sign a letter signed by 58 Congress members and 22 senators asking the Secretary of State to take immediate action and hold Israel guilty as charged.
II. We Worked Hard to Ensure that Palestinian Americans Concerns are Heard
a. The USPC continued its pressure campaign on U.S. administration officials to convince Israel to end the siege on Gaza.
b. Israel’s Civil Administration Authorities, charged with controlling most aspects of Palestinians’ daily lives, have been working for years to change the rules by which foreigners and Palestinians living abroad are treated upon their entry into Palestinian areas via Israeli entry points. The Israeli Civil Administration intends, with their new COGAT rules to determine who is allowed to enter the Palestinian territories and for how long. Working with members of the U.S. administration, and Congress we were able to compel Israel to delete few, not most, of the egregious rules Israel wanted to implement, even though, we are still outraged by the discriminatory COGAT rules implementation towards Americans. The USPC will continue its work with the Administration and Congress to achieve more.
c. We raised our concerns over Israel’s blatant expansion of illegal Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
d. We urged administration officials over Israel’s house demolition policies and the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
e. We vehemently oppose the inclusion of Israel in the U.S. Visa Waiver program. The waiver would allow Israelis to enter the United States without securing a visa to the United States ahead of time.
We insisted that so long as Palestinian Americans are singled out and treated differently than other Americans, the U.S. government should not include Israel in its U.S. waiver program.
To that end, members of the board of USPC met, often multiple times, with:
U.S. high-ranking officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
Special Representatives for Palestinian Affairs within the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near East Affairs
NSC Director for Israel and Palestinian Affairs
Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
III. Media Outreach
We are fortunate that many members of our board of directors are interviewed regularly by local and international media outlets – television, radio, and newspapers. In those interviews, our members discussed pertinent issues of concern to the Palestinian American community.
Fortunately, some board members are prolific writers and write articles regularly in U.S. media outlets and Israeli and Palestinian newspapers.
IV. USPC Worked with Community Leaders, Organizations, and Solidarity Groups
We organized and participated in many virtual meetings with U.S. policymakers promoting the Palestinians’ rights, and we invited the community to participate in those meetings.
Some board members participated as speakers with several prominent organizations interested in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
We participated in other organizations' events at the local and national levels. Those organizations included Arab American, Palestinian American, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian American groups and organizations.
V. Local and National Elections
USPC members were engaged in local and national campaigns.
Many of the candidates we supported won, including all 14 that USPC endorsed.
This year our community made history by re-electing Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American, to the U.S. Congress. In addition, we extend our congratulations to the following Palestinian-Americans who were elected at the State level:
Abdelnasser Rashid, Illinois House of Representatives
Iman Judeh, Colorado House of Representatives
Sam Rasoul, Virginia House of Representatives
Athena Salman, Arizona House of Representatives
Ruwa Romman, Georgia House of Representatives
During the “Meet Our Candidates” event, we endorsed fourteen candidates for Congress, all of whom won!
USPC held meetings with these candidates and discussed their agenda and plans. We held fundraisers on behalf of U.S. candidates and invited the community to contribute funds and garner votes for these candidates.
USPC joined the Arab American Democratic Action Fund in a virtual fund-raiser for Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Congresswoman Cori Bush, and a dozen others.
Finally, we invite you to join us as members, and we kindly ask you to contribute to enabling the work of USPC to grow and expand. Thank you!
We will be amiss if we do not recognize the value of working alongside several Palestinian-American organizations, distinguished activists, and human rights organizations. Your work and input are phenomenal, and any success in our work could not have been possible without your valuable work. At times, we work on the same issues, while other times, we work on different topics of concern to Palestinian Americans.
We invite you to contribute to the USPC so that we may continue our work. Everyone on our board of directors commits to donating a set sum to USPC annually.
We invite you to join us as a member of the USPC and ask you to donate to help the USPC continue and intensify its activities.
We are aware that working together can make a huge difference! We can strengthen each other, so our voices are heard nationally and internationally. Our community and the just cause of Palestine need us to unite and work collectively.
On behalf of the entire board of directors of USPC, we thank you and wish you a happy new year.
Prof. John Dabeet
President, US Palestinian Council
December 31, 2022
Congratulations to our Mid-term Election Candidates Endorsed by USPC
Meet our candidates
10 NOV 2022
Congratulations on your big win!
The USPC endorced the perfect winning team.
Mid-term Election Candidates Endorsed by USPC
Meet our candidates
5 NOV 2022
MEET OUR CANDIDATES
Mid-term Election Candidates Endorsed by USPC
Foreign Relations Committee Passes Van Hollen Amendment
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of his amendment to the Department of State Authorization Act, requiring the State Department to provide Senators with the report overseen by the United States Security Coordinator (USSC) regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Shireen Abu Akleh:
16 SEPT 2022
Foreign relations committee passes Van Hollen amendment requiring state department to provide report on shooting death of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
SEPT 14, 2022: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of his amendment to the Department of State Authorization Act, requiring the State Department to provide Senators with the report overseen by the United States Security Coordinator (USSC) regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Shireen Abu Akleh.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen stated:
“Over 100 days ago, American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting in the West Bank. Following her death, my colleagues and I requested an independent investigation led by the United States as well as answers to basic questions around her shooting and a copy of the report produced by the U.S. Security Coordinator. This amendment will ensure that the Senate will receive the USSC report as we requested in July – and I’m glad that it was adopted by the Foreign Relations Committee. I will continue pressing for full accountability and transparency around the death of Shireen – anything less is unacceptable.”
For more information, click here
Support a U.S. Investigation into the Death of Palestinian-American Journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh
Dear USPC members and Friends,
Please call and write your representatives asking them to support a letter led by Rep. Andrea Cason and Rep Loa Correa addressed to the Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation to request an investigation, led by the U.S. regarding the death of American citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh.
You can use the link below for automatic letter or you can write your own. For your connivence a copy of the letter is below.
I am writing you today to ask you to sign the letter shared by Rep Andrea Cason and Rep. Loa Correa addressed to the Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation to request an investigation, led by the U.S. regarding the death of American citizen, Shireen Abu Akleh. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022.
Letter Text
The Honorable Antony Blinken Mr. Christopher Wray
Secretary of State Director
U.S. Department of State Federal Bureau of Investigations
Washington, DC 20520 Washington, D.C. 20535
Dear Mr. Secretary and Director Wray
We are writing you regarding the recent death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51 year-old Palestinian American. Ms. Abu Akleh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, was fatally shot in the West Bank city of Jenin on May 11, 2022. We request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into the death of Ms. Abu Akleh.
AP News reported that Ms. Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Her producer, Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the back. It was also reported that Palestinian journalists who were with Ms. Abu Akleh and Mr. Samoundi at the time said that they made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and they did not see militants in the area. The Israeli military claimed that the victims were caught between gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli Defense Forces. However, media and eyewitnesses had conflicting reports. Shaza Hanaysheh, another Palestinian journalist among the reporters, also said that there were no clashes or shooting in the immediate area. News reports from the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, and Aljazeera also highlight these conflicting reports.
As Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned by the death of Ms. Abu Akleh. Journalists worldwide must be protected at all costs. The U.S. State Department called Ms. Abu Akleh’s death “an affront to media freedom.” We welcome the actions and statements taken so far by the U.S. Department of State supporting a thorough investigation. However, given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh’s death. We also request the U.S. Department of State determines whether any U.S. laws protecting Ms. Abu Akleh, an American citizen, were violated.
As an American, Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to U.S. citizens living abroad. We, the undersigned Members of Congress, urge you to uphold the values that our nation was founded on, including human rights, equality for all, and freedom of speech. We have a duty to protect Americans reporting abroad. We look forward to your timely response.
USPC Special Message
Dear USPC members and Friends,
On Friday, June 4, 2021 a few Palestinian Americans were invited to meet with Secretary of State Tony Blinken. In the spirit of transparency, we want you to know that I was invited and attended the meeting along with USPC board member Hanna Hanania.
I am proud to say that every issue one can think of was clearly and persuasively argued by the attendees of Friday's meeting. Among the issues I took note of at the meeting were: the latest Israeli assault and our demand for lifting the blockade on Gaza, the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, the repeated attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the utterly inhumane siege of Gaza, our strong objection to the recent Israeli $1b aid request as well as renewed US arms sales to Israel, holding Israel to account for its 54-year-old brutal occupation and its unabated expansion of settlements, as well as Israel's well-documented human rights violations including its enforcement of an apartheid system against its own Palestinian citizens.
Although the participants were not aware of who was invited beforehand, we all spoke with one voice, articulate and strong, and we were able to present our case forcefully and persuasively during the meeting.
The participants were fully aware of the grassroots work being carried out in our community. Despite the fact that we were invited to the meeting as individuals, we nevertheless made sure to emphasize the issues that resonate with our community concerning the unfair and misguided American policy toward Palestine and the Palestinian people.
Having said that, let me say that we value and honor the diversity that exists within the Palestinian American community as we continue our effort to build bridges of good will aimed at solidifying the intersection of our vibrant coalitions.
May we all be guided by our sense of brotherhood and continue to be inspired by our devotion to Palestine.
In solidarity,
Khalil Barhoum
President, US Palestinian Council