Ghazala Faruqui’s Post

Two things happened in Michigan on Wednesday evening. First, in the receiving line for Vice President Harris, leaders of the Uncommitted Movement spoke with her briefly and asked her to consider an arms embargo on Israel, and Harris agreed to continue the conversation. Then, in her rally, protestors raised their voices to elevate the issue of Gaza, and Harris told them "if you want Trump to win then say that, otherwise I am speaking." Harris' response to protester's chants in Michigan was, to put it mildly, unfortunate, and a missed opportunity for her to acknowledge the justice and humanity of their pleas. At the same time, the statement issued by her team thereafter (link below), which included both a reference to upholding international law and a subtle but, to this parser of diplomatic wording, fascinating contextualizing qualifier to the standard line on Israel's right to defend itself, while cloaked in more nuance than any of us would like, was encouraging. As the massacre and starvation of Gaza continues, we should be conscious of the changing political context in the U.S. When Biden was running, Gaza protests were directed at a single person who was both the decision-maker empowered to change the policy, and the candidate whose re-election may have hinged on this one issue. Now, Harris is the candidate, and the Democrats are celebrating a moment of sudden and rare party unity. On the current trajectory, though it is still very early, a Democratic Presidential victory suddenly seems not just a roll of the dice, but a distinct possibility. Those of us who are continuing to raise our voices on Gaza must be conscious of this shifting political dynamic and its implications for our leverage and tactics. On the one hand, our calls, including for an immediate ceasefire and an immediate suspension of lethal arms transfers to the IDF, remain appropriately directed to the only person who has the power to address them today: Joe Biden. On the other, we must engage with the new candidates for President and VP, cognizant that they have less power to change the immediate situation, and not having Biden's "track record" on Israel have an even tighter line to walk with the party establishment, the media, and key donors. In that context, we must be unwavering in our demands, but effective in our tactics. Coalition-building in particular remains vital - demonstrating to the candidates that Gaza is not a concern of the few, but of the many, not a focus for some on the perimeter, but a core concern for millions across the rainbow coalition that is the Democratic party. But however we do it, we need to keep Gaza top of mind for the campaign, and do so in a way that incentivizes their continued substantive commitments to change.   NYT article: https://lnkd.in/ekfHDgkc Harris Nat Sec Advisor's Tweet: https://lnkd.in/eYjTQGSG Archived NYT article: https://archive.ph/iWMP8

Yesterday, Donald Trump was complaining that he lacks the support of the majority of the Jewish community for the November election. 😳Trump puts the support between 60% and 40% in favor of Harris. I think Trump is right, and there is a bitter and good reason about it .  It has become apparent that with Biden and Harris in power, the Netanyahu & Gallant Team (both indicted persons by ICC for war crimes) has enjoyed a full and unconditional support in their genocidal war against the Palestinian and Zionist unlawful expansion in the West Bank and beyond. So why would the Zionist Regime, and their surrogates here in US (AIPAC  and Others) would change horses in the midstream at such a critical juncture?, and when it is working so good for them? The record shows that between Obama and Biden, the Israeli War Machine had received the highest money and weapons compared with Trump of other GOP governments. To add more, the Trump- Netanyahu meeting at Mara Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida was not with full of praises, rather cold, and Trump in the closing statement, was critical of Netanyahu by warning that his actions could lead to a World War III 😳 ? My take is that under a new Harris presidency , the US Policy towards Israel will be the same O… S… and it has been proven to be subservient of everything Israel wants to do. This is not a comment for Trump’s endorsement ,NO, absolutely not. But I believe that unless Harris changes her position in the next month or so , the moral and politically correct position, for every decent citizen, it is to have an obligation to confront these horrendous crimes being committed by Israel with the complicity of the present Biden - Harris administration, and consequently, choose to take the position of #UNCOMMITTED in the next election. So Josh Paul is mostly correct again 👍🙏

Hussam Ayloush, an elected delegate and past executive board member of the California Democratic Party, acknowledges that Harris has taken “baby steps” toward challenging Biden’s unquestioning support for Israel. He notes that she sat out Netanyahu’s address to Congress (a move that her campaign chalked up to a scheduling conflict); that her remarks after meeting Netanyahu highlighted Palestinians’ suffering and right to freedom and self-determination; and that her choice of Walz over Shapiro signaled her willingness to forgo a staunchly pro-Israel candidate, even if it risked accusations of “caving” to antiwar protesters. “I don’t think these steps have sealed the deal for her” among opponents of Israel’s assault, Ayloush cautions. “But many are noticing that there is an attempt to distance herself from Joe Biden [on Gaza], something that will not be easy for her as Biden’s vice president.” Still, Ayloush warns that Harris will need to articulate “commitments of substance” if she hopes to win over disaffected Democratic voters. Like others, he believes those commitments need to include a vow to stop the flow of deadly weapons to Israel and end “diplomatic cover on the world stage” for Israeli actions. If Harris wins in November, Ayloush says he and others in the Democratic Party intend to hold her accountable on these commitments, including by paying close attention to “who she hires to oversee American policy on Israel.” https://lnkd.in/dnFXqrz8

When asked by media and allies I have expressed a belief that a Harris presidency would be "slightly better" than the Biden Presidency has been for Gaza, in part because she is not a hard-cast ideologue on this issue as Biden is, and in part because her team are more moderate and reasonable (and frankly also more thoughtful and self-aware) than Biden's team are. But the devil is in the details. When it comes to those details, it is hard to point to a specific area where we can be sure a Harris presidency would be better. Would they be more likely to condition or suspend arms transfers? They have been explicit that they would not. Would they enforce the U.S. laws already on the books, such as 620I or Leahy? They have not said they would. Would they stand up for the rights of peaceful protestors on campuses across America? They have given no sign of doing so, and indeed, Harris' responses both to the protests at the time of Netanyahu's visit to Washington DC, and to protests at her own campaign events, have been deeply disappointing - and their unwillingness to even give a Palestinian-American a voice at the Democratic Convention was a very worrying sign. I also believe that no individual, not even at the level of the President of the United States, can bring transformative change to U.S. policy on this issue in the next four years given how firmly entrenched the current approach is across American politics - this is something that will take many years to fix, and in the coming weeks I will be unveiling a new effort to address this strategically, holistically, and effectively. In the meantime, I, and others I have spoken to, would like to believe that Harris would be slightly better than where we are. But there is only so long we can wave our hands at generalities and presumptions - we need clear words from the Harris campaign that give a basis for these hopes. Without those, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold to such hopes, and the polls demonstrate that the Harris campaign should be increasingly concerned about the implications of this gap between hopes and words - let alone actions - for outcomes of the election in key states. The ball is in their, and her, court.

It was revealed this week that nearly 20 Green Party of England and Wales General Election candidates have shared antisemitic slurs & racist conspiracy theories, backed pro-Palestinian protests calling for intifada & genocide & justified the Hamas massacre of Oct 7th as a legitimate act of resistance. Some of the most egregious examples include comparing Zionism to cancer, claiming the Hamas atrocities were orchestrated by Israel as a way to justify the response in Gaza & in the case of Kefentse Dennis, the Green equalities & diversity co-ordinator, that the Hamas rocket attacks indiscriminately targeting civilians in Israel were an example of "Palestine defending itself as it is legally allowed to" & that the demonstration that took place at a remembrance march for the victims of the Holocaust at Auschwitz was a celebration. The Greens believe that they are on track for their best election results yet in their push to become a mainstream party, with YouGov having them polling at 7%. They are expected to hold the Parliamentary seat of Brighton Pavilion & potentially take Bristol Central. They are the largest party on a number of other English councils across multiple towns and cities, which on this evidence Jews would not be welcome in. So ask yourself why a party who in their own words have a single goal, to bring about a fairer, greener country, who's focus is on the cost of living crisis & climate & environmental issues, appear far more obsessed with the crisis & conflict in the Middle East. Ask yourself why when Mothin Ali won a seat on Leeds City Council for the Greens, he described it as a "win for the people of Gaza". He just happens to be the same individual who had only weeks earlier been involved in the harrassment of a Jewish University chaplain outside his home. The answer to these questions is that after years of well-funded libellous campaigns, Israel has become for many on the left a model of imperialist white supremacy. The simple slanderous message being disseminated that Palestinians are "indigenous natives" & "people of colour", while Jews are "privileged & colonialist white Europeans." The combination of antisemitic & anti-Zionist tendencies in the radical left, along with a well funded Islamist influence, are combining to cause this existential threat to Jewish existence in the UK. The narrative has now grown into rejecting Israel's right to exist, denying our factual history & bond to the land & denying that Jews are historical victims of genocide & also the victims of Oct 7th. The Green Party of England and Wales as a mainstream political party in the UK should frighten you, this is the radical left finding legitimacy & influence. Stand up, speak out and be proud, we cannot allow this to be the future of our country. https://lnkd.in/e5aKHnyj

Protesters in Dearborn, Michigan have been openly calling for the destruction of the USA and Israel. The scene, which one might expect to encounter in the streets of Tehran or Gaza City, has instead unfolded on American soil, raising alarming questions about the spread of radical ideologies within the nation's borders. The demonstrators' inflammatory rhetoric not only targeted Israel but also included calls for the downfall of the Biden administration. This raises concerns about the potential political motives behind the protest and whether these fringe elements represent a constituency that the current administration is attempting to appease. As the United States grapples with an increasingly polarized and volatile political climate, the presence of such extremist views in the heart of an American city underscores the urgent need for a robust and principled response from US leaders. The Biden administration must unequivocally condemn these dangerous and divisive statements, making it clear that calls for the destruction of the nation and its allies have no place in our public discourse. Failure to address this issue head-on risks emboldening those who seek to undermine the very foundations of the democracy and erode the values that have long united Americans of all backgrounds. The preservation of national security and the defense of strategic partnerships abroad must remain a top priority, transcending the short-term considerations of electoral politics.

Elected officials in the U.S. have seized on campus protests to accuse their political foes of supporting antisemitism. But for years they have mainstreamed anti-Jewish rhetoric and conspiracy theories—much of it focused on our founder, George Soros, and misrepresenting our work to promote democracy, justice, and human rights. nyti.ms/3WuT8Pb For the record on the current campus protests, we have never and will never pay, coordinate, or train protestors— regardless of the issue. Nor do we advise our grantees on the advocacy tactics they choose to pursue. But we do unapologetically support the right of all citizens to peaceful protest—a bedrock principle of U.S. democracy. https://osf.to/4dywvz9

BREAKING: "I am here, I am not going anywhere. At this critical moment, our country needs a legitimate institution that reflects the voice of its people" —President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the nation a day before Oligarch Ivanishvili installs a puppet president. "Today, we face an apparent provocation orchestrated by the mayor of our capital, who has planned to light the Christmas tree at 7 PM tomorrow. This act is not coincidental—it is a calculated move against the backdrop of ongoing protests that have lasted for two weeks, with another large-scale demonstration scheduled for tomorrow. We understand the purpose behind this decision, and I urge parents not to bring their children to this event. I must warn the mayor: this provocation will achieve nothing. Our protests are peaceful and will remain so, regardless of such attempts. Protesters will take every measure to avoid provocation. If the mayor truly wishes to prevent conflict, he should reschedule this event or hold it for example here at Orbeliani Palace. Responsibility for any incidents will rest squarely with those who have organized this act. What we are witnessing is both a provocation and a parody of governance. The unconstitutional actions we see today are not just an affront to the political process—they have turned our state into a farce. This is deeply insulting to us all and is a deliberate attempt to provoke a reaction from the public. But let me be clear: we will not stop. Let the parody remain theirs. The real resistance is happening on our streets and in our cities. Every day, more and more people are joining to express their dissatisfaction. This wave of protest has swept across the entire country—every city, every generation, every profession. Even our diaspora and the public sector, which has long been cautious, have now joined this collective outcry. Despite new laws that seek to turn the public sector into an instrument of political repression, we will not be silenced. You cannot imprison or intimidate an entire nation. No threats, no oppressive measures, no totalitarian tactics will succeed. Georgia stands united. Our people have spoken, and the idea of a European Georgia has brought this nation together. Solidarity, love, and the peaceful expression of a national ideal are what we need and what we are demonstrating today. We demand new elections. This is our call and demand, and there is no peaceful alternative. If anyone truly seeks peace in this country and a way out of the current crisis, the only solution is free and fair elections. I am here for this. I am not going anywhere. At this critical moment, our country needs a legitimate institution that reflects the voice of its people. I am your representative, both in dialogue with the international community and here at home. I will remain here to work with all of you on how we can organize fair elections and restore peace, justice, and a future for Georgia." - Zurabishvili said.