| It used to be a truism that US elections, particularly presidential elections, rarely centered around international issues, concentrating instead on domestic and particularly economic issues. This was even more true of local and congressional elections. It also was a truism that when it came to specific issues during the election cycle, there was an expectation of wall-to-wall bipartisan support for the State of Israel. Politicians publicly needed to pay lip service and declare their support for Israel and even, in presidential elections, travel to Israel, visit the Western Wall, and publicly proclaim their support. Failure to do so would risk, they were told, the wrath of the entire Jewish (or evangelical) community and the drying up of funds for their elections campaigns. This time, however, things are decidedly different. Palestine and Israel are definitely on everyone’s mind. Money from the influential AIPAC (thought to be the most powerful lobby second only perhaps to the NRA) has become toxic. Candidates for office now proudly proclaim that they do not accept money from AIPAC, and those who continue to be in its debt are now seeking and finding ways to receive their money through other channels in an effort to publicly distance themselves from AIPAC. Those who do not are being challenged openly and find it hard to hide or justify receiving such funds. Outside of select districts in Dearborn, the Twin Cities, and elsewhere, the first major manifestation of this phenomenon was seen in the victory of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York. This was soon followed by the success of Social Democrats in multiple primaries and local elections, challenging conventional wisdom regarding the presumed strength of the pro-Israel lobby. This sent shock waves through the Democratic establishment, whose candidates, reportedly, are asking their party bosses how they can reply to questions about Palestine, the Gaza genocide and their own positions on the subject, positions which previously were not even controversial. Chris Rabb won an election in Philadelphia openly advertising that he was againsTrump and against the genocide in Gaza. The victory of Melat Kiros in Denver proved that this phenomenon was not limited to the East Coast. Even Rahm Emanuel, who is considering a presidential bid, felt he needed to give a speech in Israel warning Israelis that their policies were losing them the support of the American public and that the era of unquestioning support for Israel and its policies is over. He was trying to carve for himself a path whereby he could criticize Netanyahu but still maintain an ardently Zionist position. All of this goes to show that Palestine and the Genocide in Gaza is now firmly on the ballot during the upcoming elections. People who have been demonstrating in the millions for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide might sometimes feel it was all for nothing. This is not true. Every action, every call, every conversation, every post and share online, has helped produce a mass that is now determined to make its voice heard at the ballot box. This did not come about by chance. In a way, we can congratulate each other and be proud that the message is finally getting through and will eventually lead to change. We gratefully acknowledge those who against all odds have played a part however large or small, in bringing about this change. Two lessons, however, are important to bear in mind. This is no time for complacency. The genocide continues daily in Gaza, ethnic cleansing continues in the West Bank, and the sense of impunity of settlers and Israelis continues unabated. We must continue and redouble our efforts and remember that the darkest hour of the night is the one just before the dawn. The ill-treatment of Congressman Ro Khanna, who was detained and mocked by armed Jewish settlers in the West Bank has helped his move from a “progressive, except for Palestine,” to a position of openly challenging genocide and apartheid. Campaigns for the lifting of the siege of Gaza, demands for accountability, challenges to politicians and decision makers, and campaigns like the one to free Dr. Abu Safiya and other health workers must continue and expand. Legal efforts to prosecute Israeli war criminals and achieve accountability must be redoubled. The second lesson is to note that the forces arrayed against us are formidable. They are actively seeking new ways to avoid any consequences for their actions and stack the deck in a manner that would make fighting them even harder. One of the ways this is happening is through passing new measures and legislation that are hidden from sight and that are harder to detect and challenge. An example of this is the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is often subtly introduced, enacted through executive action, or hidden within anti-racist measures. It is often introduced as part of anti-hate measures with little or no discussion, and then it is codified into structures, handbooks, internal memos and other structural mechanisms. Doing so works to define anti-zionism as antisemitism, criminalize it, and then silence Palestinian advocacy. Most recently was a new proposed measure hidden within the gigantic National Defense Authorization Act for 2027, whereby Section 224 in this massive bill establishes a mechanism for the full integration of Israeli and US military in terms of technological cooperation and programs. Under this provision, information and military systems like counter-drone systems, missile and air defenses, quantum computing, AI and autonomous systems, cyber and electronic warfare, etc…, would all be undertaken jointly and fully integrated. This proposed integration has already been passed by committee with little or no debate in the House of Representatives and then went before the larger House as well as the Senate, where it is currently stalled. It would effectively merge the Israeli and US armies, intelligence services, network of connections, military supplies and technology in a fundamental way that is not subject to any future oversight. Thus, instead of annually passing generous military assistance packages of 3-6 billion dollars a year, the Israeli army can simply dip into the existing supplies of the US army directly, with no fanfare or oversight. It also creates organic systematic ties between the two armies benefitting from generous (and bloated) US defense spending and preventing any political interference in the ongoing joint activities of the two armies. This would be a catastrophic development. Those interested in peace and justice need to be diligent in preventing such a development, and we must be vigilant against any such under the table arrangements. The leadership, for instance, of the Democratic Party continues to follow the Zionist line despite the wishes of a clear majority of its constituents, including Jewish Democrats, as well as trends within the broader US establishment where support of the genocide is dropping fast. As Israel disastrously loses the public relations battle, it is trying to insulate its activities from public scrutiny or criticism in more and more ingenious ways. In this way, business would continue as usual. Despite the wishes of a clear majority of the American people including the Jewish population as well as trends within the broader public where support of the genocide is dropping fast. |
