Letter from the Editor: Palestinian Americans demand recognition in US political system

The following was originally published in Palestine in America’s politics edition. Please support our publication by downloading a digital copy, ordering a print copy and or becoming a monthly subscriber.

I did not plan on being in Palestine with my wife during the September Israeli elections, but there we were, in a taxi from Jericho to Turmus Ayya passing political billboards littered with anti-Palestinian propaganda and illegal promises. The billboard that stood out the most on our way to visit family was of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump embracing. 

It was unsettling knowing these ads were directed at illegal Israeli settlers living in the Occupied West Bank who are allowed to vote in those elections, while Palestinians in those same territories are not afforded the same right. And yet I had solace knowing that back in the United States, Palestinian Americans and other social justice activists were doing everything in their power to combat the right-wing agenda at home and abroad. 

My earliest memory of politics in the U.S. is the 2000 presidential election when Lebanese American Ralph Nader ran on the Green ticket. From then on, I’ve introduced myself as “Nader, like Ralph Nader, the guy people accused of costing Al Gore the election.” And that was the closest thing I’ve felt to representation in U.S. politics — until 2016. It wasn’t until that year’s presidential election that I would hear any major politician in our country dare to say something remotely fair to the Palestinians. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who was running for president then just as he is now, began the trend of Democratic presidential candidates publicly criticizing Israel. This time around, it isn't as shocking when Sanders threatens to withhold aid from Israel or give part of the $3.8 billion to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 

The rhetoric used to describe the occupation and the plight of the Palestinians is not where it needs to be, but thanks to the groundwork done by grassroots political organizations (e.g., U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Palestine Legal, and American Muslims for Palestine), Israel is no longer receiving a free pass from the Democratic party. The Republican party still staunchly supports the occupation, and that shouldn't surprise anyone.

This is the perfect time for Palestine in America’s political issue; the 2020 presidential campaign is in full effect, and Democratic hopefuls are becoming more and more comfortable criticizing Israel. Today, one of our Congress members is a Palestinian woman (Rashida Tlaib), a few other Palestinians are running for other offices across the country, and there are many others who are currently working on political campaings, such as Linda Sarsour and Amer Zahr, who are working on the Sanders’ campaign. 

In this issue, Cara Piraino’s article tells us all there is to know about Rush Darwish’s campaign for U.S. Congress in Illinois’ 3rd District; Palestinian political activists will tell us who they plan on supporting in the upcoming presidential election and why; and Erik Paul Howard’s photo essay will give us a look into Tlaib’s time as a congresswoman and some of the many things she has accomplished for her constituency. 

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