What’s in a Name?

Notice something different? Well, it is time to share the big news!

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is changing its name!

Moving forward, our organization will be known as the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.

Concurrent with this name change we’ve overhauled our website and logo. Our new website was launched at our annual conference on October 15th, 2016 themed “Which Side Are You On?: Taking a Stand for Palestinian Rights.”

We wanted to share some of the thinking that went into this decision. You may know that our coalition, the largest in the United States working for Palestinian rights, determined several years ago through a voting process in our membership to change our name. We chose the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights for several important reasons.

While we of course continue to demand an end to Israeli Occupation, we wanted our name to encapsulate what we stand for, not just what we stand against. Additionally, we have long stood in support of the rights of Palestinians living under formal Israeli military occupation but also of course the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinian refugees.

We believe this change compliments a burgeoning and necessary shift in the discourse on this issue away from a security-based framing and toward a rights-based one.

We also felt it was important to highlight “Palestinian” because it is often this very identity that is the calculated target of Israeli policy. And we recognized that so many people refer to our organization simply as “The US Campaign” so we have decided it made sense to hold on to this part of the name for easy reference and continuity as we go through this change. Last, our new name is more concise and easier to use.

Finally, we wanted to introduce you to our new logo. The image we chose is of a poppy surrounded by a traditional Palestinian embroidery pattern. The poppy is a flower that, like Palestinians themselves, is native to Palestine and has roots throughout the country. Annually in springtime the poppies bring beautifully colored sights to the Palestinian landscape after the cold winter. It symbolizes a connection with the land and the triumph of hope and perseverance. The embroidery pattern, or tatreez, is Palestinian needlepoint that traditionally adorned bridal dresses and has been incorporated into many forms of clothing. The masterful products of hours upon hours of carefully crafted and organized design bringing together individual threads is a reminder of what can be achieved when we organize and act together.

As we continue down the path of working together for freedom, justice and equality we hope we can continue to count on people like you who have helped us elevate the advocacy for Palestinian rights to new heights over the past 15 years.