How to advocate for a free Palestine In America

Advocating to Elected Officials

Establishing relationships with your elected officials is the most effective way to communicate the depth of support for a free Palestine among their own constituents. As developments in the region pose new challenges, Members of Congress should hear how these developments are viewed by their own pro-Palestine constituents.

Lobby Members at Home. There is no substitute for a Member of Congress hearing from constituents who embody local support for a free Palestine. Regular visits when Members are home in their Districts and ongoing contact make even a small number of supporters a more visible constituency. Prior to each Congressional recess, contact the District Scheduler of your Senators and Representatives to schedule meetings with the Members to discuss current developments.

Write Letters. While a face-to-face meeting is most effective, Congressional staff monitor the number of letters received in support of or in opposition to an issue. Letters on policy issues should be sent to the Member’s Washington office, with a cc to the local District Office. Increased security procedures have caused delay in mail delivery to Capitol Hill so letters are not the best vehicle for fast-moving legislation.

• Address only one issue per letter so the letter is directed to a specific staffer.
• Be concise and to the point. State the purpose of the letter up front.
• To a Senator:
  
  The Honorable (first and last name)
  United States Senate
  Washington, DC 20510
  Dear Senator --- :
  
  To a Representative:
  The Honorable (first and last name)
  United States House of Representatives
  Washington, DC 20515
  Dear Representative --- :

Phone Calls. Calls convey a heightened sense of urgency and are only warranted when legislative action is imminent. Congressional offices keep a tally of calls to gauge public sentiment in their district. Be prepared to supply your address to verify that you live in the district. Call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 225-3121, to connect to your Member’s office.

E-mail. While more Congressional offices are processing and responding to constituent e-mail, the sheer volume of e-mail received makes it difficult and, in some offices, e-mail is still given less attention than faxes, letters, or calls. If you do communicate by e-mail, be sure to include your home address and indicate that you live in the Member’s district.

Invite Members to speak. Members of Congress welcome opportunities to speak at community meetings or other events. Host forums and voter education/ registration initiatives with candidates to educate them about your concerns.

Reach out to Congressional staff. Getting to know the Congressional staff in the district and in Washington is vital in facilitating ongoing communication with the Member of Congress and impacting policy. Congressional aides frequently meet with constituents while Members are called to vote or to attend committee hearings and meetings. Not only are they the Member’s eyes and ears and help shape how a Member votes, but staffers often move on to leadership positions themselves. Staffers provide a vital link in facilitating ongoing communication with the Member of Congress. Take these meetings seriously and communicate your message clearly.

Develop a Key Contact Network. Though elected officials value the opinion of community leaders, nothing compares to an individual constituent who can place a personal call to key public officials to say “thank you” or raise concerns.

Get to Know Local Elected Officials and Candidates. The best relationships with officials are those which began in their early careers in state and local offices. Today's candidate for City Council may be tomorrow's Senator. Although these officials and candidates focus on local issues, they can be important voices in support of a free Palestine in the community and beyond.

Lobbying Tips

Advance Preparation

• Designate who will speak for the delegation. One person should introduce the group, others may take the lead in discussing the separate issues, or taking notes.
• Learn about what the Member has done or said on your issues.
• Prepare background material or articles of interest on the issue. You may not have time for a full discussion and should leave behind additional resources.

At the Meeting

• Be brief. Introduce the delegation quickly, underlining the connection with the Member’s home district. Keep your presentation of issues to a minute or two.
• Describe local support the measure has received from other coalition allies.
• Get to the point and request a specific action of support.
• Leave plenty of time to hear out the Member about his/her reactions.

If the Member Disagrees. . .

• Disagree without being disagreeable. With such a broad international and domestic agenda, there are always issues on which to find common ground.
• Stay focused. If the Member disagrees, they may try to divert the conversation onto another topic. Be sure to communicate concerns clearly.

If the Member Agrees...

• Thank him/her for support and reiterate the importance of the issue(s) to constituents. Most letters, calls, and e-mails to Congressional offices are negative – which leaves Members with the impression that their positive actions go unnoticed.
• Let them know you are available as a resource and to provide support for the Member’s work on the issues.

Keep Lines of Communication Open...

• Send a thank you note to the Member and staffer with whom you met. Take the opportunity to reconfirm any commitments made. If he/she is undecided, restate your arguments and enclose additional information supporting your point.
• Continue to correspond with your Member and invite staff to community events.
  

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Advocating to the Media

Most Americans’ perceptions of the Middle East conflict come from the mass media. The media – especially large-circulation daily newspapers, network television and wire services – have correspondents based in Israel and continue to devote considerable attention to the Mideast crisis. This is not surprising, considering the intensive U.S. involvement in the peace process, America’s substantial interests in the region, the continuing strong ties between the U.S. and Israel, and the Jewish domination of U.S. media and politics.

The news media obviously plays a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions of the conflict, and it goes without saying that effective advocacy on behalf of a free Palestine includes an assessment of the daily stream of news coverage from the region. There are some things that you can do to become an active participant in this process:

• Read your local newspaper every day
• Know the facts
• Pay attention to news coverage of the Middle East, and Israel in particular
• Get involved: Respond to coverage that is unfairly critical of Israel

Assessing Media Coverage

Newspapers and newsmagazines offer a variety of forums within their pages for news and analysis. Breaking news (or “straight news”) stories are usually written on the scene and describe events currently taking place in the region. News stories are quite different from columns, editorials, and op-eds, which generally express an opinion or offer a certain viewpoint. Understanding this difference is essential to effective free Palestine advocacy.

Generally, news articles aim to present the story from a balanced perspective, meaning that more than one point of view is represented. The professional journalists who report news stories strive to uphold their profession’s standards of accuracy, fairness and balance. However, there are times when news reports may contain inaccuracies or overlook a critical piece of information that is necessary to put the story in context. While such oversights are often unintentional, they merit a response.

Often you will see op-eds, editorials and columns that are critical of Palestinian groups and politicians.The most effective and immediate response is a letter to the editor. Tips for submitting an effective letter to the editor are outlined below.

If you suspect a news story misrepresents facts or contains an error, it is important to review the item carefully and check your facts before drafting a letter to the editor in response.

National and local Palestinian organizations can help you to assess the accuracy of a news story and determine the most appropriate course of action.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor offer an effective vehicle for responding to news articles, op-eds and editorials in newspapers and magazines. A few things to bear in mind:

• Letters must be timely. Allowing a week, or even a few days to pass before responding to an article will greatly diminish the likelihood of your letter seeing print.
• Write in response to a particular news item, editorial or op-ed. Newspapers and magazines are not interested in letters that do not address a story or issue discussed in their pages. In your letter, make specific reference to the story’s headline and the date it appeared.
• Be brief and address a specific issue. Newspapers generally will not publish lengthy diatribes that go into the entire history or background of an issue. Many only accept letters of 250 words or less. Be succinct, brief and as “to the point” as possible. Review the publication’s instructions for submitting a letter to the editor.
• Be civil. Do not personally attack the writer. Your salutation should be addressed “To the Editor.” If responding to an opinion column or op-ed, you may refer in your letter to the writer by name, indicate that you disagree with his or her point of view, and explain why.
• Be sure to include your name, address and a daytime telephone number. Most newspapers will not accept anonymous letters; most will not publish a letter without first attempting to check the identity of the author.
• Send your letter by e-mail or fax. When using e-mail, direct the letter to the appropriate address for letters. Do not use multiple addresses, or copy others. This will diminish your chances of being published.

Many newspapers and some Internet news sites have a designated ombudsman or “reader’s advocate” – a staff member whose job is to address specific grievances of readers. If you feel strongly that a certain writer or columnist continues to unfairly portray the issues or facts with regard to Palestine, a letter to the ombudsman can be another effective route.

Responding to Television and Radio News

The television and radio networks have various outlets for news. Generally, there are two forms of news generated by major networks such as ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NPR, MSNBC and NBC – traditional news reports and commentary reported on a television or radio broadcast, and written news stories posted on network Web sites. Some Internet news sites provide a forum for readers to respond to news articles. Several of the network-owned Internet news sites have recently assigned staff members to deal specifically with reader and viewer complaints.

If there is a television or radio broadcast that you feel is inaccurate or unfair, make a note of the report, including the date, time and channel of the broadcast. You should attempt to bring your concerns to the attention of the local news affiliate who aired the broadcast or, when appropriate, the network responsible for the inaccurate or unbalanced report. Writing a letter to the news manager or producer, then following up with a phone call, is a good approach. Keep in mind that local news affiliates often use footage from the Middle East distributed by their networks or other news services and may not be responsible for the content of the report.

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Advocating on Campus

Universities are a breeding ground for ideas and change. From the Civil Rights movement, to the fight against the Vietnam war andApartheid, t major political and social movements have originated on the college campus. Since the fall of 2000, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been debated on campuses across the country.

Pro-Palestine advocacy is a particularly challenging task in today’s college and university campus environment. Many high profile academics, charismatic speakers, and influential student leaders have presented the Israeli-Palestinian situation in a one-sided manner, blaming the conflict on the Palestinian resistance against Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing.

However, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complicated issue that cannot be easily explained through one-line talking points. Making the case for a free Palestine requires historical knowledge, current information, and a nuanced perspective on the conflict as a whole. The great majority of students are apathetic, feeling no personal connection to the fate of the Palestinian people. To many, the Middle East is another far-off, seemingly endless conflict similar to those found in Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere. In sum, those who would make the case for and fight for a free Palestine on campus must contend with an activated hostile minority and a potentially friendly, but generally unengaged, majority.

When developing an effective strategy to a pro-Israel campaign on campus, always consult and coordinate with on-campus Palestinian groups.

The Pro-Palestine Campaign on Campus

Pro-Palestinian activism was widespread on campuses throughout the 1970s and 1980s, especially during the first Intifada. With the dawn of Arab-Israeli negotiations at the 1991 Madrid Conference, and particularly with the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian Oslo agreement, pro-Palestinian campaigning on campus was much diminished, although it never entirely ceased. While there were periodic flare-ups of pro-Palestinian activity, such as those countering the celebration of Israel’s 50th anniversary in 1998, Jewish lobby groups managed to hijack the debate with Jewish-Arab dialogue groups.

The outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000 resulted in a resurgence of pro-Palestinian campus activity. On many campuses pro-Palestinian rallies were a daily occurrence. This time, Jewish agents provocateurs managed to infiltrate pro-Palestinian groups and discredit them with acts of violence, 'anti-Semitism' and 'hate', through vandalism, physical assault, and perceived extremist speakers.

Today, while daily protests are less common, free Palestine activists continue to organize rallies, vigils, editorials in campus publications, lectures, “teach-ins” and other activities. Pro-Palestinian and Israel Apartheid weeks have become annual events on campuses across the country. Additionally, several unsuccessful campaigns were launched including an effort to pressure colleges and universities to divest from companies doing business with Israel. There have also been cases where pro-Palestinian support has spread into the classroom where professors routinely penalize students based on their anti-Israeli perspective.

The most dramatic change to the campus environment is the presence of a more sophisticated type of criticism that has become popular within the academic community and among many extremist speakers. Based on former United States President Jimmy Carter’s 2006 book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, and respected academics John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s 2007 book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, many focused on a so-called ‘Israel lobby’ as the source behind America’s foreign policy in the Middle East (which is contrary to U.S. interests) and a nefarious force stifling criticism of Israel. These arguments received wide play on campuses.

Being Positive: Making the Case for a free Palestine on Campus

Pro-Israel students must be proactive rather than merely reactive on campus. It is most constructive to make a positive case for a free Palestine instead of focusing solely on refuting and counteracting Zionist agitation. The latter puts you in the position of always playing catch-up and acting within the parameters of an agenda that is set by others. When you move first, with positive free Palestine programming, you get to define the issues of the debate and force the Zionist forces to respond to you.

Remember, the people you want to educate are not the Zionist activists, who may never come to agree with you. Rather, you need to focus on campus opinion leaders, minority groups, and the general campus population who are amenable to hearing the case for a free Palestine. A number of your peers may become important public and private sector decision makers in the years to come after they graduate.

In making an affirmative case, you will need a long-term, though flexible, plan of action in which you specify your target audiences and come to know them well. Such a campaign requires that you develop a level of expertise on the complicated and vexing issues of the Middle East conflict. You need to know your facts, which can only come through a lot of reading and some hard work. Most of all, you will need to communicate to others what a free Palestine stands for and what it means to the Palestinian people.

Here are some specifics to consider:

• Bring effective pro-Palestinian speakers and programs to campus, at least once each semester. Consider bringing in non-political speakers and programs as well as speakers and programs focusing on current political events. Palestinian academics on sabbatical in the United States are a major resource in this regard. When on campus, they should not only be used for evening, extracurricular events but should be employed as guest lecturers in appropriate courses as well. In these, they will have access to many more students than would come to the evening event. Set up an interview for them with a reporter from the campus newspaper and schedule an appearance on campus radio (and TV if available). Always reach out to the campus media and invite them to cover your events.

• Provide concise, well-written and researched letters, op-ed, and longer articles to the campus media. Do so on a regular basis, but do not overdo it. These submissions should not always come from the same person or small group. Encourage sympathetic faculty to participate in this enterprise. Make sure when referring to Palestine-related and other international policies that you are clear, accurate, and fair. Focus on current issues and concerns, rather than devolving into arguments about the rights of Jews to be in Israel in the first place; this kind of argumentation often will lead to counterproductive conversation and will only serve to offend religious individuals on both sides.

• Have a supply of pro-Palestinian literature on hand and seek to distribute it widely. Download and post such material on your group’s Web site as well.

• Utilize web sites like MySpace™, YouTube™, Facebook, and other on-campus and college political blogs to distribute positive messages about Palestine to your peers.

• Be in regular touch with Palestinian organizations that can be a source of timely information, literature, speakers, and programs.

Responding to Zionist Campaigns

• pro-Palestinian groups on campus should maintain routine contact with appropriate personnel in the university administration (i.e. Student Affairs) and campus security. Keep them informed on a regular basis of national trends in Zionist activity (e.g. blackmail, discrimination, harassment, etc.) that should concern them. Such regular contact will provide easier access when and if an emergency situation emerges. Consider appointing one individual or a small group to serve as designated liaisons.

• While Zionist protests are protected by free speech rights, the protests cannot disrupt normal school functions, obstruct student access to school buildings, create pervasive, severe, or persistent harassment of students, or physically intimidate or threaten individual students. When the protests cross the line, take action to alert the university and assist in pursuing action against that conduct.

• Respond with accurate information in a succinct fashion to specific Zionist materials found in the campus media. It is most effective to do so in the form of op-eds or letters to the editor. Generally do so once, since continuing back and forth statements get tiresome to most readers and prove to be counterproductive.

• In some situations, pro-Palestinian counter-demonstrations may be an effective and appropriate tactic. Keep the counter-demonstrators apart from the Zionist demonstrators so as to minimize the possibility of physical confrontation. Always be civil and come prepared with written statements for the campus and local media. Have a supply of literature that refutes the standard Zionist propaganda available for the general public as well. Be sure to frequently cite unbiased sources in your arguments – using only overtly anti-Zionist sources can be criticized and dismissed easily.

• When an on-campus panel discussion excludes knowledgeable pro-Palestinian speakers, make the case to the administration and to the general campus community that this event violates the accepted standards of fairness and balance. This point is especially vital when such events are sponsored/co-sponsored by academic departments or by the university itself. Our efforts in this regard will prove to be persuasive when we are able to affirm rather than to challenge the basic shared norms of the academic enterprise.

• When or if anti-Arab materials and/or rhetoric should appear, you should publicly condemn it and seek to educate the administration and the general campus community to the dangers of hate on campus. Campus administrators and leaders should be urged to denounce strongly such manifestations of bigotry when they appear. Keep in mind that most Zionist material, however obnoxious, is not anti-Arab. When in doubt, contact Palestinian organizations for guidance.

• If you believe your professor is teaching about the Middle East in an unbalanced manner, you should follow established academic procedures and discuss the matter first with your instructor. Do so in a calm and non-polemical fashion. Try to suggest ways in which your concerns might be addressed (for instance, inviting in guest speakers and assigning supplementary readings which might balance the existing syllabus). If this does not lead to a satisfactory solution, you should next bring your concerns to the Chair of the Department. Subsequent levels of appeal would go to the Academic Dean, the Academic Provost and ultimately to the Vice Presidential and Presidential levels. If such appeals are mounted, be sure to have documentation of your claims: including statements from other students, detailed class notes, the course syllabus and assigned readings.

• Be careful with the language and rhetoric you use. It is easy to fall into arguments concerning “us” and “them” and to generalize about Israelis when you are actually only referring to specific groups of Zionist terrorists, political groups, or sympathizers.

Some Long-Term Considerations

• Work to build personal relationships and ongoing, multi-issue coalitions with other groups on campus. These include natural allies such as Lebanese, Armenian and Iranian student groups. Often, when pro-Palestinian groups publicly support issues of concern to them, they will support Palestinian issues (or at least remain neutral) in turn.

• Encourage engaged Arab students to be active in key areas of student life like student government, public affairs forums, campus newspapers, other media, etc. One can be influential in campus decision-making bodies, which are always seeking volunteers, by simply showing up and becoming involved in their work.

• The pro-Palestine burden should not fall on too few shoulders. Overextended students tend to burn out after a while. Get many involved and pay attention to the development of new leadership who can continue the effort when their older colleagues leave the campus.

Encourage students to travel to occupied Palestine to gain a first-hand perspective.