The progress and victories of recent years absolutely are a cause for celebration. But it is important to keep in mind that the fight is far from over.
By Ariel Gold and Mary Miller | Mondoweiss | July 14, 2020
…we must recognize that the change happening now cannot be credited to any one action, individual, or organization. Rather, it is the culmination of countless efforts and the work of several groups.
2020 has indisputably been a chaotic year. From the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent disruption of daily life, to the killing of George Floyd and the passionate resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement that followed, to the looming general election: there has been plenty occupying the minds and newsfeeds of Americans. But in between all the headline-grabbing stories, another movement has been gaining traction: the effort to end the United States’ support for Israeli apartheid and finally bring peace and justice to the Palestinian people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to announce plans to annex parts of the West Bank on July 1. That date has come and gone, and still no formal announcement has been made. But what is perhaps most noteworthy about this incident isn’t that Netanyahu almost moved from de facto to de jour annexation of the West Bank, but that the response from influential members of Congress made it clear that, should Israel plan to move forward with annexation, it would not go without consequence.
On June 30, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramilla Jayapal sent a Dear Colleague letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressing concern that annexation would “lay the groundwork for Israel becoming an apartheid state” and calling for the non-recognition of annexed land and withholding of some of the $3.8 billion in military funding the US sends to Israel every year. Her compelling letter was signed by a dozen other Congresspeople, including influential figures such as Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
HolyLandJustice.org 