Dear Stan,
I’ve been a Jewish Voice for Peace supporter for years. Right now, it’s critical we ensure JVP has the resources they need. Here’s why.
Trump has been a disaster for Palestinian rights. His administration crossed a number of seemingly uncrossable lines, like declaring that Israeli settlements do not violate international law.
But the U.S. has always claimed to oppose settlements while providing massive diplomatic, military, and financial support for their expansion. If Biden simply adopts Obama’s policies on Israel, our tax dollars will continue to fund an apartheid political system.
There is hope for Palestinian liberation, it just doesn’t lie with Biden.It lies with the public opinion in the U.S. – and public opinion is changing rapidly. JVP rightly deserves credit for helping to make that happen, and they will be a crucial voice in the year to come.
Polls show that Democrats, especially younger ones, now tend to support Palestinian rights. A growing number of Democrats in Congress are advocating to condition military funding to Israel, which was unthinkable just a decade ago. Students are organizing for Palestinian freedom on campuses across the country. In short, after years of enjoying passionate liberal support, Israel is starting to become a far-right issue.
There is no question that Israel will keep doing what it’s doing as long as the U.S. supports it. And we have no reason to believe the Biden administration will make any significant changes without immense pressure. If we want to truly shift the balance of power, we have to build a movement that’s strong enough to challenge the status quo, and win.
JVP is the right organization for this moment. They have spent years building an effective grassroots base that can pressure the U.S. to abide by its own laws barring the use of foreign aid to violate human rights. They are on the ground every day challenging U.S. policies that enable Israeli apartheid programs. This is exactly the right strategy and one that I believe could have a real impact.
Of course, JVP isn’t funded by mainstream foundations or billionaire donors. They are able to do the work they do only because thousands of people like you and me chip in what we can.
Noam Chomsky
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national membership organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for the justice, equality, and dignity of all the people of Israel/Palestine. Become a JVP Member today.
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