- CounterPunch.org - https://www.counterpunch.org -

An Official Rejoinder to Paul Larudee

As Paul Larudee correctly points out in his latest article, the US Campaign unequivocally opposes all forms of racism. The US Campaign is a broad-based coalition of more than 400 organizations working to end U.S. support for Israeli occupation and apartheid policies toward the Palestinians, and to change U.S. policy to support human rights, international law and equality. In addition to supporting an end to Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, the US Campaign also supports the Palestinian refugees’ right of return and full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Membership in the US Campaign is not open to organizations which oppose and/or organize against these and other individual and collective rights of the Palestinians, or which subscribe to racist viewpoints against Palestinians, whether or not that group defines itself as being Zionist.

Being a diverse and inclusive coalition, the US Campaign is proud that Palestinian-, Arab- and Muslim-American organizations are both part of its coalition and that individuals from these communities are an integral part of its leadership, as reflected in its Steering Committee, staff and Advisory Board.

The US Campaign has a strong history of criticism and action opposed to Israel’s injustices against Palestinians as the US Campaign works to change U.S. policy: In 2005, the US Campaign endorsed the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS). In 2006, the US Campaign voted to adopt the language of apartheid and Jim Crow segregation in describing Israeli policies towards Palestinians. In 2009, the US Campaign endorsed the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

The US Campaign rejects Mr. Larudee’s characterization of our coalition as pursuing “the agenda of anti-occupation, pro-BDS Zionists.”

Finally, since Mr. Larudee chose to put quotation marks around the claim that the US Campaign’s apparent course of action is to “determine that it does not need to determine” a stance on Zionism, we wish to point out that these words are his alone and do not accurately reflect any US Campaign position.

Felicia Eaves and Peter Miller, Co-Chairs, Steering Committee, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.