Let’s Show Congress Our #Resistance

You’ve got to watch this video of a constituent confronting Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) at a town hall meeting last weekend in New York over her support for the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, a bill which could land you in jail for 20 years for expressing support for boycotting Israel.

The large crowd cheers loudly as Sen. Gillibrand asserts that “we are all allowed to boycott” and pledges to withdraw her support for the bill after talking to the ACLU about its concern that it is in “direct violation of the First Amendment.”

And make sure to see these photos of activists protesting last night in Baltimore outside the office of Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the lead sponsor of this anti-BDS bill.

We got into the act too, challenging Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) over his support for the bill at a rally earlier this week at the Capitol.

We need you to help us keep the pressure on Congress to support Palestinian human rights. Fill out this form ASAP to let us know that you’d like to help.

Thanks to our member groups and allies—WESPAC, Adalah-NY, JVP-Westchester, Baltimore Palestine Solidarity and Freedom to Boycott in Maryland, to name a few—Members of Congress are getting unprecedented pushback from their constituents for protecting Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.

Next month, Members of Congress will be at home for August recess where they’ll be holding town halls and constituent meetings.

Can you help us organize to show Members of Congress that we #Resist their attempts to criminalize BDS and that we’ll continue advocating for Palestinian rights? Fill out our interest form!

If so, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with groups organizing in your area or send you resources to plan an action of your own.

This public #Resistance to the pro-Israel lobby’s agenda is a game-changer because Members of Congress are being forced to reckon with their constituents’ demands for an end to the long-held US policy of backing Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.

AIPAC and other organizations pushing anti-Palestinian policies rely on our invisibility to accomplish their goals.

That’s why we need to be organized and public during the August recess to make clear to Members of Congress the growing grassroots opposition to our complicity in Israel’s systematic abuses of Palestinian rights.

Thank you in advance for being a visible presence for Palestinian rights next month! We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

JOSH RUEBNER
Policy Director

PS: By now, you’ve probably been inundated with calls to action from so many groups opposing the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, a bill which we’ve been fighting since it was first introduced in March. Just in case you haven’t contacted your Members of Congress about it, you can do so by clicking here.

PPS: Do you have questions about how the Israel Anti-Boycott Act violates the First Amendment? Please check out this excellent new FAQ by the ACLU detailing how this bill is in direct violation of our freedom of speech.