To:
Tim Canova, Democrat for Congress, Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Rep. Jesús García (IL-4), Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-7), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5)
Democratic Platform Committee: Support Israeli Security AND Palestinian Rights
Add language to the Democratic Platform expressing opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which entrench the occupation and endanger peace.
Why is this important?
Members of the Democratic Platform Committee have an opportunity this year to show support for Israeli security AND Palestinian rights. As J Street notes: "Support for the two-state solution has been a staple of the party's platform for years. It's time to add language noting concern about the relentless expansion of settlements, which entrench the occupation and endanger peace." [1] As J Street's President Jeremy Ben-Ami notes at Huffington Post, the current Democratic platform mentions neither settlement expansion nor the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people. [2]
Reps. Keith Ellison, Luis Gutierrez, and Barbara Lee are members of the Democratic Platform Committee; Rep. Elijah Cummings is its chair. DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz appointed four members of the committee, including Rep. Lee and Rep. Cummings. [3] Wasserman Schultz's Democratic primary opponent, Tim Canova, should know that adding support for Palestinian rights to the Democratic platform has widespread Democratic support.
Urge these Democrats to support adding opposition to settlement expansion to the Democratic Platform by signing our petition.
Just Foreign Policy