November 3, 2024
Many in the Palestinian-American community urge the defeat of Trump
As Democrats and leaders in the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and Progressive communities in Arizona, we the undersigned make the following statement, published on 10/24/2024: (excerpts)Horrendous and murderous as is the firm support by the Biden/Harris administration of the Israeli government, as it massacres the Palestinian and Lebanese people, the Trump administration promises even more support for ethnic cleansing and genocide, plus stepped-up repression of protest in the US. So many in the Palestinian community see the need to vote for Harris. We reproduce below a statement from a number of Palestinian-Americans, many of whom has suffered grievously and lost beloved family members in the ongoing massacres, but who see the need to keep Trump out of office. We agree with the need to vote for Harris as the lesser evil in the presidential election. We do not agree with the expectations for further influence for Palestinians in the Democratic Party; it is the growing sympathy for the Palestinians among the people that is putting pressure on US imperialism. The victory of Trump and the MAGA-ists would make it harder for working people in the US to express solidarity with the Palestinians or do anything progressive; this is but one of the reasons why international solidarity require taking part in the struggle against Trump and the serious threat from the American far right. — Joseph Green, Detroit Workers’ Voice.
This past year has been very difficult for all of us. With over 42,000 Palestinians killed by Israel using American-supplied weapons and no end in sight despite all our struggle for a ceasefire, we approach the presidential election heartbroken and outraged.
We know that many in our communities are resistant to vote for Kamala Harris because of the Biden administration’s complicity in the genocide. We understand this sentiment. Many of us have felt that way ourselves, even until very recently. Some of us have lost many family members in Gaza and Lebanon. We respect those who feel they simply can’t vote for a member of the administration that sent the bombs that may have killed their loved ones.
As we consider the full situation carefully, however, we conclude that voting for Kamala Harris is the best option for the Palestinian cause and all of our communities. We know that some will strongly disagree. We only ask that you consider our case with an open mind and heart, respecting that we are doing what we believe is right in an awful situation where only flawed choices are available.
In our view, it is crystal clear that allowing the fascist Donald Trump to become President again would be the worst possible outcome for the Palestinian people. A Trump win would be an extreme danger to Muslims in our country, all immigrants, and the American pro-Palestine movement. It would be an existential threat to our democracy and our whole planet.
When we think of Trump in power again, we recall that even a genocide can get much worse. Trump just said that Netanhahu must “go further” in Gaza while criticizing Biden for “trying to hold him back.” His biggest donor, Miriam Adelson, who demanded in 2016 that Trump move the US embassy to Jerusalem if elected –– which he then did –– is now telling Trump to allow Israel to annex the entire West Bank. Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and the entire far right in Israel want Trump to win and grant Israel total free reign. We cannot give them what they want.
Trump must be defeated. The only way to defeat him is to elect Kamala Harris.
Voting for Harris is not a personal endorsement of her or of the policy decisions of the administration in which she served. ...
Some argue that if Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim voters and our allies vote for a 3rd party candidate and intentionally throw the election to Trump, taking credit for defeating Harris, it will prove our power to decide a close election and “punish Democrats” for complicity in genocide. Unfortunately, this is not how power, politics, or change works in our country. When Ralph Nader helped throw the election to Bush in 2000, he was rejected by millions for whom he was once a hero, banished ever since to the political margins. When Jill Stein helped throw the election to Trump in 2016, she remained relegated to the political fringe, becoming less powerful not more. …
Full text and list of signers is at
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/arizon ... -election/ . <>.
Full text of the D/SWV item is at https://www.communistvoice.org/DSWV-241103.pdf.