What the Cori Bush defeat and the Tim Walz pick mean for our movement
Dear USCPR family:
There’s no way to sugarcoat this—despite the ongoing genocide, despite the murders of Palestinian families with U.S.-made and funded 500lb bombs, despite the urgency of this moment, and despite the obviousness of the solution to end this bloodshed (ending weapons to Israel), we have not accomplished our goals.
We have made progress. We still have momentum. But the reality is, we’re taking on an entire apartheid state and the AIPAC-bought U.S. political system behind it. This week's stinging defeat of Congresswoman Cori Bush—the first Black Lives Matter elected official and a stalwart ally of Palestine—only underscores how much further we have to go.
Much has been written in the press about AIPAC’s power and this moment, but outside of Congresswoman Tlaib’s essential voice, Palestinian voices have not been uplifted. This is a long email that I felt compelled to write to share with you how we understand this moment and how we plan to fight back. At the end, I will ask you to support our work and our Palestinian-led organization.
Since the genocide began last year, we have been overwhelmed and inspired by supporters and activists like you mobilizing for Palestinian liberation in the U.S. like never before. Yes, we haven’t ended the genocide, but our collective accomplishments should not be overlooked:
In 2015, only 50 Democrats in Congress skipped Netanyahu’s speech. This year, over 150—over half of all Democrats—did.
Millions have marched in solidarity with Palestine at thousands of protests.
You've collectively made over 2 million calls and emails demanding a permanent ceasefire and an end to weapons to Israel through USCPR and USCPR Action tools alone.
Public opinion remains firmly on our side—over half of all Americans and over 70% of Democratic voters support an end to weapons shipments.
Pressure from our movement effectively pushed Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign to pick Tim Walz for VP, instead of the expected front-runner and Governor of PA Josh Shapiro, who has yet to fully denounce his past racist remarks toward Palestinians.
Over 200 city council resolutions calling for ceasefire show the power of local organizing.
We couldn’t have done all that without your support. That said, we must remain clear-eyed about this fundamental truth: our movement to date has not been able to wield its power to end weapons to Israel. We have not ended the genocide, achieved a permanent ceasefire, or changed U.S. policy yet.
As a Palestinian organizer, I understand just how frustrating, how devastating, that reality is. And I know that some of you have been going hard for 10 months and that beyond the obvious rage and frustration, burnout and cynicism are also creeping in.
It is rational in the face of what we are fighting against. It is a human reaction to our politicians' indifference to U.S.-made and taxpayer funded bombs being used to murder Palestinian families indiscriminately.
But whether it takes 1 year or 5 or 50, we must keep fighting. For far longer than 10 months, generations of Palestinians have modeled sumud – perseverance. And we must continue standing with them.
This is a long-term struggle, and we must turn our despair, our anger and our cynicism into a long-term commitment to fight for Palestinian liberation. Because the majority of people are already on our side, {{FirstName or 'Friend'}}. Polling results show that 64% of all U.S. voters support the proposed ceasefire deal and 53% support halting military funding to Israel.
And let’s be clear: Our next president must change U.S. policy on Gaza.
Our job is to continue fighting until every politician realizes there is no path to victory without responding to the demand of the majority of U.S. voters who want to see a permanent ceasefire and an end to military funding to Israel through an arms embargo.
With the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the moment is now to double down on our organizing. On our protesting. On our social media advocacy.
Every. Single. Action. Matters in this fight.
So if you’re burned out, take the time you need to think and breathe. But please, commit to being in this fight for the long haul. No matter who wins in November, no matter how much money AIPAC spends, and no matter how long it takes, we will be here, alongside you, day in and day out, fighting for Palestinian liberation.
The first step in the path to that liberation is ending the billions of dollars in military funding the U.S. sends every year to support Israel’s apartheid regime.
Thank you for standing with us. Your support means more than words can express.
In solidarity,
AHMAD ABUZNAID
Executive Director
P.S. In 11 days, we’re taking to the streets along with tens of thousands of people to march on the Democratic National Convention and bring the people’s demands to the door of the Democratic Party. We demand an arms embargo now—and nothing less. Join us for the March on the DNC in Chicago (or tell your friends & fam in the area!) on Monday, Aug. 19.