Resisting US Complicity in Israel’s assault on Gaza and building a movement of Solidarity with the Palestinian people
On Monday, Electronic Intifada posted a story about the death toll of Palestinians since October 7:
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that more than 8,000 Palestinians in the territory had been killed since 7 October, including more than 3,300 children. The actual death toll is likely much higher as many people remain under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes.
What is currently happening in Gaza and the other Israeli occupied territories needs to be resisted. These are war crimes, and since the US government is fully endorsing the Israeli assault on Gaza and provides more military aid to Israel than any other country, it means that we are either complicit in the brutalizing of Palestinians or we can chose to be part of the resistance to US Policy.
Resisting with tactics and strategy
The question in anti-war movements, or in this case anti-Imperialist/anti-colonial movements is what does it mean to resist?
Too often people either feel the need to or are encouraged by others to simply communicate how one feels with Elected officials. While this can be a cathartic and instructive exercise, when it comes to US relations with Israel, it is almost unanimously in support of Israel. This is in large part because of the vast amounts of money from Pro-Israeli groups going to candidates at the federal level. According to OpenSecrets.org, since 1990, pro-Israel groups have contributed $227,209,019.00, with more than half of that money going to Democrats.
A more effective strategy is marches and rallies. Marches and rallies can often assist in energizing movements, letting you know that you are not alone in how you feel about US complicity in Israeli war crimes. Marches and rallies can also be ways for people to stay connect toad informed by movements.
However, marches and rallies should not repeat themselves or become predictable, which often can lead to making it easy for state repression. Ultimately marches/rallies need to disrupt business as usual and need to escalate. While Palestinians are being brutally assaulted and killed by the Israeli military (often by weapons provided by the US), we need to be bold, which means that marches should always be public, in the street or in places where we can impact public opinion.
We also need to be creative about marches, like going to malls, to bus stations, the Downtown Market, during other public events, anything that can disrupt and confront the public with how the US government, using our tax dollars are being used to kill Palestinian civilians and children.
Confronting Elected Officials
Once we realize that all the letters in the world will not change where elected officials stand on issues like the Israeli assault on Gaza, we then need to think about other ways to confront those who either initiate policy or give their consent to policies like funding the Israeli military.
We need to confront elected officials in their offices, during town hall meetings, when they are out and about in the district. Sit-ins can be an important escalating tactic, which can also move others to be willing to risk arrest and depending on numbers can create problems for the system. Of course, we always need jail support, legal support, people to post bond, etc, all of which is necessary, and all of which is important for people to participate in, since it exposes how the so-called justice system functions.
Confronting elected officials can also be creative, like making wanted posters, doing street theater, creating digital depictions of Congressional complicity in war crimes and the murder of civilians. There can be die-ins, visiting the homes of elected officials, and threatening to never vote for them again as long as they support war crimes and murder. In fact, anti-war, anti-imperialist/anti-colonialist movements need to leverage these tactics, especially when it comes to elected officials. This could involve getting as many grassroots groups, unions and religious institutions to demand a ceasefire now.
Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions
I have been seeing lots of people posting lists of products that we can boycott, which can be useful. However, boycotts are only effective if they are targeted campaigns. This is why the BDS Campaign is so important, because they have been targeting specific corporations, banks and other financial institutions.
People should check out the Palestinian-led BDS Campaign, which has great information on companies to target, but also lots of strategies that are effective in the effort to pressure companies or other entities to divest funds from the Israeli occupation/Israeli Apartheid policies.
For instance, if you are a member of a union you can investigate where the union has investments and then potentially divest. If you work at a university, the same thing can happen, along with other civic entities that can pressure boycotts and divestment.
There was an effort to get the City of Grand Rapids to Divest from companies profiting off of Israeli Apartheid policies back in late 2015, but the effort to divest lost momentum because of the 2016 election cycle and the eventual election of Donald Trump.
Confronting the Military Industrial Complex in West Michigan
Another strategy would be to expose and resist weapons manufacturers in West Michigan. This would require some research and investigation, but there are definitely weapons manufacturers in the area, even if they are just making components for weapons systems.
Then there are business associations and businesses in West Michigan that are either Israeli or are recruiting Israeli weapons companies. For instance, in 2015, GRIID wrote about the role that the Right Place Inc. played in using public tax dollars to recruit an Israeli military contractor to West Michigan.
Plasan North America, which has a factory in Walker, Michigan. Is a subsidiary of Plasan Sasa Ltd., which is an Israeli corporation. Thus we have military assault vehicles being manufactured right here in West Michigan, vehicles that are integral to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land.
End US Military Aid to Israel, fund our communities community
We should be demanding an end to US Military Aid to Israel, which currently is $3.8 Billion a year. According to the fabulous tool that the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights has created, which allows you to type in your city or state, which provides an amount of the $3.8 billion annually in US military aid to Israel that could stay in your community. On top of that, this tool provides an example of how the money that leaves Michigan or Grand Rapids on an annual basis, how that money could be used in our communities.
Currently, $2,815,720.00 of the $3.8 billion in US military aid to Israel could stay in our community. That is almost 1 million more than is currently being used for the Grand Rapids Participatory Budgeting project ($2 million). Again, this tool provides a breakdown of how $2,815,720.00 could be used in Grand Rapids:
- 334 Households with public housing for a year.
- 979 children could receive free or low-cost healthcare.
- It would cover the salary for 30 elementary school teachers.
- 8,016 households could be powered with solar electricity for a year.
- 74 students could have their loan debt cancelled.
- 2,448,452 N95 respirators masks could be provided for the community.
We can not only make sure that we are not funding Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, we can demand that the money stay in our communities to support real needs here in Grand Rapids.
These are just some of the ways that we can strategically target systems of power and oppression in West Michigan, systems that are directly involved in and/or complicit in the current Israeli assault on Gaza and the larger Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. We need to build this movement!!!
Independent news and analysis on Israeli oppression, US complicity and the Palestinian liberation struggle
A large part information battle is the fact that US commercial news media tends to adopt and repeat back the US Government’s position on Israel and Palestine.
The national media watchdog group, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), has been documenting this dynamic since they were founded in the early 1980s. For example, last week FAIR posted an article entitled, In Hours of Israel/Gaza Crisis Coverage, a Word You’ll Seldom Hear: ‘Ceasefire’, which documented how little the word ceasefire has been used in the major commercial news sources in the US.
In August, FAIR also published an excellent article that can work as a guide for US news consumers, entitled, Six Tropes to Look Out for That Distort Israel/Palestine Coverage. I highly recommend using this as a guide when consuming US commercial news.
In 2016, the Media Education Foundation produced a powerful documentary, The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States. This documentary, which you can watch online, also provides a detailed analysis of how US commercial media is deeply influenced by Israeli PR, adopting the language and talking points that the Israeli government presents.
Independent News & Analysis
When it comes to independent sources of information, there are numerous. One of the best regular sources of news and analysis is the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Another excellent resource is Electronic Intifada, which was founded by the Palestinian-American journalist, Ali Abunimah.
A few other daily independent news sources are:
- Palestine Chronicle https://www.palestinechronicle.com/
- The Intercept https://theintercept.com/
- CounterPunch https://www.counterpunch.org/
- Truthout https://truthout.org/
- The Jacobin https://jacobin.com/
- Dissident Voice https://dissidentvoice.org/
- Common Dreams https://www.commondreams.org/
- Democracy Now! https://www.democracynow.org/
- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting www.fair.org
Then there is the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. This site has great information on US Military Aid to Israel, a Palestine 101 section, and a Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit.
Another excellent resource is the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions page https://bdsmovement.net/. I see lots of lists of products to boycott as it relates to Israel, but the BDS campaign has very focused boycott campaigns that move us from individual choices to collective action.
There are also really good human rights monitoring groups, like:
- Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
- The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
This Wednesday, there will be an excellent online event, Abolition Means No More War: Free Palestine Now! Aiming to contribute to fighting against war-making more broadly, this event will examine the relationship of the PIC with Israel’s apartheid and occupation of Palestine, and why abolitionists must strongly mobilize in this time, by bringing together experts on PIC abolition, solidarity, liberation movements, war and militarism to:
- Unpack the relationship of racist and imperialist structures that support the ongoing Israeli occupation in Palestine
- Expose the Israeli imprisonment system including Gaza’s forced configuration into an open air prison
- Disrupt Israel’s role in worldwide repression of marginalized peoples and revolutionary struggle
- And interrupt the media’s role in criminalization, inciting more violence, and maintaining systems of oppression by empowering colonial ideology through Islamaphobia, Anti-Arab racism, and anti-semitism
To register for this event go to this link.
Right now, Verso Books is providing free e-books on Solidarity with Palestine.
Lastly, stay plugged in to the local Palestinian Solidarity Movement, which has a rally at the Federal Building this Thursday from 4 – 6pm.
Always Follow the Money: Contributions for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Bond Vote Campaign
In our last post, GRIID spoke with Kyle Lim from the Urban Core Collective about the November 7th GRPS Bond Vote.
Now, I want to look at the entity that did fundraising for the GRPS Bond Vote, known as Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee.
The funds raised through the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee can be found on the Kent County Clerk’s Campaign Finances page. There was a small amount raised $945, along with some in kind contributions valued at $1,245 for the July campaign finances deadline, linked here.
However, the bulk of the money raised and spent took place over the past few months, which you can read at this link. According to the campaign finance data filed with the Kent County Clerk, there was $28,200.00 raised and $20,561.96 spent.
Here is a list of the largest contributors to the Yes GR for Kids campaign, which was the only group organizing for the November 7th GRPS Bond Vote. I include, when relevant, a contextual identifier to make a point about who might benefit from the Bond vote passing.
- Kellie Dean – President Dean Transportation $10,000
- Rockford Construction $5000
- Gordon Foods $1000
- Dave Shaffer – CEO Interphase Interiors $1000
- Rob Westdrop – CEO Moss Audio Corp. $1000
- Katherine Lewis $800
- Triangle & Associates $500
- Kate Wolters $500
- Leadriane Roby – GRPS Superintendent $500
- Milt Rohwer $500
- McAlvery Merchant & Associates – Lobby Firm $500
- Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts $500
- Tommy Brann $500
- Anna Lusk – Assistance Superintendent GRPS $300
- Rhonda Kribs – CFO for the GRPS $250
- David Smart – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Karl Nelson – GRPS $250
- Leon Hendrix – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Mathew Beresford – Executive Director GRPS $250
- John Harmsen – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Kurt Johnson – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Joe Jones $250
- Rukshana Ilahi – Executive Director GRPS $200
Some observations from this list are:
The largest campaign donor, Kellie Dean ($10,000) runs the company that has a contract with the GRPS to provide transportation for students. Dean Transportation is the privatized busing company that took over busing for the GRPS after the school district discontinued their own busing service. GRIID wrote a bit about Dean Transportation, which was also a co-sponsor of a Bond Vote kickoff event in September.
Rockford Construction and Triangle & Associates could benefit from facilities construction contracts with the GRPS.
McAlvery Merchant & Associates does lobby work for the GRPS in Lansing.
There are no less than 10 contributors who work for the Grand Rapids Public School system.
Lastly, there are not that many small donations to the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee, meaning that those who would really benefit from the bond vote for the GRPS – parents, students, teachers and grassroots community members. Is this because that class of people were not courted by the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee or that their involvement isn’t relevant to the outcome?
Kyle Lim, who works with the Urban Core Collective, is part of a community-based effort in Grand Rapids that seeks to have more input on how money is allocated in the Grand Rapids Public School’s budget.
In September, we reported on an action taken by the Education Justice movement that the Urban Core Collective is involved in, where students, parents, teachers and community members have been working on a list of demands on how GRPS money should be used for essentially needs. During that action in September, we wrote: One parent, Marta Johnson, who has been working with the Urban Core Collective, came out last night to say:
“Our house is on fire and we can’t just watch it burn. We cannot wait for bond dollars or a Facilities Master Plan to begin effecting change. We need GRPS administration to take immediate action on issues of air quality, transportation, teacher compensation, school food and mental health services.”
This list of demands can be viewed in more detail at this link, demands that were presented to the Grand Rapids Public School Board back in June, when the Urban Core Collective hosted a rally/march to the School Board meeting and presented these same demands to school officials.
In my interview with Kyle Lim, we talked about why the Urban Core Collective is encouraging people to vote for the GRPS Bond on November 7, what demands the Education Justice group has presented to the GRPS, and the importance of community input on how public money is spent on public education. The interview is 33 minutes long.
Always Follow the Money: Campaign contributions from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce PAC
Over the next week or so, GRIID will be posting articles about campaign financing, since the most recent deadline for filing was October 25. Most of the campaign contributions are for the 2024 Elections, but it is never too early to think about which organizations and which members of the Capitalist Class are seeking to influence both the outcome of the 2024 Elections and public policy that will be proposed by those elected.
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce PAC
The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, also known as Friends of West Michigan Business, is one of the most influential groups in Michigan, in terms of electoral and policy influence.
Their campaign contributions based on the most recent quarterly reports can be found here. There are only 13 listings for payouts from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce during this most recent campaign finance reporting, with 2 fees, which leaves 11 different contributions. Those contributions are, in order of amount given:
- Victory Values Fund $2,000
- Committee to Elect David Moore II $1,000
- Senate Republican Campaign Committee $1,000
- House Republican Campaign Committee $1,000
- Huizenga for Michigan Leadership $500
- VanWoerkom Solutions PAC $500
- Committee to Elect Maurice Groce $500
- Grant Leadership Fund $250
- House Republican Campaign Committee $250
- Gina Johnson $150
- Meerman Majority Fund $150
For the partisan races, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has contributed to all Republicans except for the Grant Leadership Fund, which is named after State Representative Kristian Grant. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has historically given the bulk of campaign contributions to the GOP, but they sometimes contribute to Democrats, such as Kristian Grant this campaign finance reporting session or Carol Glanville, whose they contributed to in the previous campaign finance session.
I always find it puzzling why the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates would accept funds from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, which is not only pro-business, they are against anything that gets in the ways of profit making. For example, right now, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is part of an alliance called the Great Lakes Growth Coalition, which is opposing even the most modest economic policies that the Whitmer Administration is putting forward. And since the Democratic Party deeply relies on campaign contributions from organized labor, why in the world would they accept money from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce or any business association?
The other two contributions are for candidates running for Kentwood City Commission seats, David Moore II and Maurice Groce. Groce is running against Lily Cheng-Schulting, who has run as a Democrat in multiple state races previously. Groce is also the current academy liaison officer for the West Michigan Aviation Academy, a charter school founded by Dick DeVos. David Moore is a freelance writer and holds a degree in biblical studies. Like we saw in the Grand Rapids City Commission race in 2022, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is backing pro-business candidates in non-partisan races.
Please watch the AIPAC-produced videos with Rep. Scholten, which promotes Israeli propaganda
GRIID has been writing about Rep. Hillary Scholten’s unconditional support for Israel ever since the Hamas attacks in early October.
On October 17, I posted an article entitled, Rep. Scholten endorses Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, which focused on her endorsement of increased US military funding for Israel, while Israel was carpet bombing Gaza.
This past Tuesday, I posted another article with the headline, Rep. Hillary Scholten continues to perpetuate misinformation about Israel/Palestine, along with refusing to acknowledge the decades long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Earlier this summer, Rep. Scholten voted for a Congressional Resolution, stating that Israel is not an Apartheid state. I wrote about that vote, along with a note about Rep. Scholten’s upcoming visit to Israel.
What I didn’t know at the time of the 3rd Congressional District Representative, is that her trip was sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, which is a funding source for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the largest pro-Israel lobby in the US.
Here is a video produced by AIPAC about the trip that Rep. Scholten took this summer. The video is clearly a propaganda piece, which not only is designed to further the mission of AIPAC, but it also feeds into the Far Right Christian belief that the State of Israel can do no wrong.
In a second AIPAC-produced video, Rep. Scholten gushes about being in the same physical space where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount. Rep. Scholten talks about reading the Beatitudes to her classmates, those who were on the same AIPAC constructed trip.
The question I have for Rep. Scholten and her supporters is, if you are a believer in the Beatitudes, then how do you justify the decades long US support for the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and the decades-long US military funding of Israeli, funding that results in the murder of countless civilians, like what we are currently seeing in Gaza?
The Christian Beatitudes speak of those who mourn, show mercy and practice peacemaking, so how the hell can anyone who embraces these values be ok with the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, where Amnesty International says there is damning evidence of Israeli War Crimes and a death toll of 6,500.
If this sort of hypocrisy pisses you off, then you might consider participating in the rally/march this Saturday, beginning at 2pm in downtown Grand Rapids, where people are calling for an end to US Military Aid for Israel and an end to the Genocide in Gaza.
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Always Follow the Money: Campaign contributions from the Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan
Over the next week or so, GRIID will be posting articles about campaign financing, since the most recent deadline for filing was October 25. Most of the campaign contributions are for the 2024 Elections, but it is never too early to think about which organizations and which members of the Capitalist Class are seeking to influence both the outcome of the 2024 Elections and public policy that will be proposed by those elected.
Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan
With all of the new housing bill proposals, the Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan is contributing a sizable amount of money for the 2024 Election.
The Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan lists 181 separate political contributions, based on the data from the Michigan Secretary of State’s Campaign Finances portal.
Some of the largest contributions are as follows:
- Senate Republican Campaign Committee $22,875
- House Republican Campaign Committee $22,875
- Building Bridges PAC (Gov. Whitmer) $10,000
- National Realtors PAC $9,645
- Michigan House Democratic Fund $7,373
- Michigan Senate Democratic Fund $6,875
- Greater Regional Alliance of Realtor $5,006
- Committee to Elect Joe Tate $5,000
- Jackson Area Association of Realtors $4,531
- Matt Hall for State Representative $2,500
- Michigan Association of Realtors $2,100
- Nesbitt Majority Fund 2 $1,500
- Friends of Justin Fischer $1,500
- Committee to Elect Joe Tate $1,500
You can see from this list that it is fairly bi-partisan, which is how corporate PACs often operate. Corporate PACs contribute to both parties, which is a way of covering all bases, so that no matter who is elected, they will have greater access to politicians and greater influence over public policy.
When it comes to campaign contributions for candidates/incumbents that are in West Michigan, here is a list from the data:
- Kristian Grant Leadership Fund $1,000
- Huizenga for Michigan Leadership Fund $1,000
- Winnie Brinks Victory Fund $1,000
- Carol Glanville for State Rep. $550
- Committee to Elected Rick Outman $500
- Phil Skaggs PAC $200
In this case, Huizenga and Outman are the Republicans, and Grant, Brinks, Glanville and Skaggs are all Democrats.
Housing policies will be a hot topic for years to come, especially considering how expensive housing is, but also because the housing sector does not want anything more than market based proposals and solutions for future housing development. While there might be some mild differences between the Republicans and Democrats, it is clear that both major political parties in Michigan fundamentally embrace market-based solutions to the current housing crisis. Market based housing solutions will automatically mean that thousands of families across Michigan will be priced out of the housing market.
Since the Hamas attacks against Israel earlier this month, the 3rd Congressional Representative, Hillary Scholten, has been very vocal about her unconditional support for the State of Israel.
The unconditional support for Israel has recently translated into a call for increased military aid to Israel (as if $3.8 Billion a year isn’t enough), as well as another resolution re-affirming the US commitment to Israel. In a GRIID post from last week on the zealous support of Israel by Rep. Scholten, I made it clear that the increased US military aid and the diplomatic alliance with Israel has resulted in thousands of Palestinians deaths, mostly in Gaza. I entitled last week’s post, Rep. Scholten endorses Israeli War Crimes in Gaza. The same continues this week, based on the actions of Rep. Scholten, which I will discuss here.
The first action I want to discuss is based upon a Press Release from Rep. Scholten, dated October 19. In that Press Release, Scholten, along with other members of Congress, urged Egyptian Ambassador to the United States Motaz Zahran to encourage the Egyptian government to help protect innocent civilians in Gaza. Part of the text reads as follows:
In order to protect noncombatants and civilians in Gaza from Hamas’s brutality, we call on the Egyptian government to urgently work with the United States, Israel, and relevant international stakeholders to take all measured and appropriate steps to support and facilitate safe zones in southern Gaza and enable a steady supply of humanitarian assistance to flow from Egypt towards those in the safe zones until the civilian population is able to return to the north of the Strip.
First, it must be stated that Hamas does not make it a practice to brutalize other Palestinians, especially in Gaza. Rep. Scholten provides no evidence of “Hamas’s brutality,” nor does she provide any sources to support this claim. The other major problem with this Press Release is the fact that nowhere does it acknowledge the decades-long Israeli occupation of Gaza, the ongoing brutality by the Israelis against those living in Gaza – See Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe’s book, Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the US-Israeli War Against the Palestinians or the numerous reports by the Israeli Human Rights group, BTselem. This decades long Israeli brutality against those living in Gaza, along with the current Israeli bombing and the demand that the Palestinians living in Gaza must leave are the real reasons why Palestinian civilians living in Gaza are at risk. Also, it must be said that the longstanding Israeli occupation and the ongoing Israeli brutality against those living in Gaza could only happen with US government consent and complicity in those crimes.
In Rep. Scholten’s weekly newsletter for October 23rd, she devotes a fair amount to what the Congresswoman refers to as, “the Israel-Hamas war.” Hamas is not a nation, so they cannot be at war with the State of Israel. More importantly, Rep. Scholten continues to NOT acknowledge the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, which includes Gaza and the ongoing Israeli assaults on Gaza.
Rep. Scholten then goes on to say, “at the heart of what drives my foreign policy–is our desire for lasting peace.” This is a nice sentiment, but there can never be real or lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, especially when the US is complicit with the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, the massive amounts of US military aid to Israel, and the US complicity in the expansion of Israeli Settlements – which includes the bulldozing of Palestinian homes and the occupation of additional Palestinian lands. For Rep. Scholten to say she wants lasting peace, while simultaneously agreeing to send more military aid to Israel is flat out hypocrisy.
Lastly, Rep. Scholten mentions on her Facebook page for October 23rd, “I joined over 100 of my Democratic colleagues in thanking the Biden admin. for its strong response to the crisis and urging POTUS to provide continued aid to Gaza.” As I pointed out yesterday with Senator Gary Peters, when the US provides only a few million in humanitarian aid to those fleeing Gaza, while simultaneously planning on sending $14 billion in Military Aid to Israel – which will be used to brutalize more Palestinians – one can see the deception in supposed US concern over the fleeing Palestinians.
In a recent article on the site Electronic Intifada, we see a more robust argument and analysis for the so-called humanitarian aid for the US in an article entitled, Biden’s Gaza “aid” plan a fig leaf for genocide. The article states:
Even if aid does start trickling in from Egypt, this would not be much more than a public relations exercise. It would not significantly alleviate the enormous harm and suffering that Israel is deliberately inflicting on the civilian population as collective punishment.
The 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are without water, food, fuel and medicine – life essentials – because Israel has deliberately cut them off. This a crime against humanity of the highest order against people the Israeli government has labeled “human animals.”
Unfortunately, this is not the sort of astute and passionate analysis coming from Michigan’s 3rd Congressional Representative, even though this is what we demand.
A letter from Senator Peters claims to care about the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, but it is filled with deception and hypocrisy
On Thursday, Michigan Senator Gary Peters, along with 30 other Senators, sent a deceptive request to President Biden for humanitarian aid for the West Bank and Gaza. Here is the text of that request from Senator Peters, which was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken: 
As a result of the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza prompted by Hamas’ horrific terror attacks, more than 1.2 million people are in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance. More than one million people have fled the violence, stretching the already strained ability of the United Nations and humanitarian partners on the ground to provide the food, medical treatment, and shelter they need to survive. In this context, the UN has released an emergency appeal for $294 million to address these humanitarian needs, help protect displaced people and save countless lives. We urge you to uphold our country’s proud tradition of leading the international community in providing lifesaving relief by contributing funding for international humanitarian assistance toward this UN appeal.
We support Israel’s right to defend its people against the brutal attacks carried out by Hamas. Hamas knew that the Israeli government would have to respond to the unconscionable murder and hostage-taking of its citizens and thus bears the blame for initiating this conflict. We also know there are many innocent Palestinians in Gaza who do not support Hamas and urgently need help as they seek to flee the fighting. More than one million people in Gaza have fled their homes in search of safety, with nearly half of those taking shelter in UN facilities. The United Nations estimates that Gaza will run out of food and water within days. Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, running desperately short on supplies and impacted by the lack of electricity. The humanitarian needs on the ground have dramatically increased over the past week, and conditions will likely continue to deteriorate in the days and weeks ahead.
Displaced people around the world depend on lifesaving humanitarian assistance from the UN and its partners to feed their families, receive medical treatment, and secure shelter. The United States should continue its steadfast support for Israel while also doing our part to help the UN assist innocent civilians as they flee the violence. We therefore urge you to join the international community in answering the call from the United Nations by contributing toward this lifesaving $294 million appeal, and ask that you work with the UN and its partners to ensure that the assistance reaches the intended recipients without diversion or delay.
I stated earlier that this statement was deceptive, plus it is highly problematic. Let’s look at the reasons why.
First, the statement from Peters and his colleagues uses language that is deceptive. It begins by saying, “the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.” What is happening and what has been happening since the late 1940s in not a conflict, it is a one-sided dynamic, where Israel displaced thousands of Palestinians during the Nakba, the 50 years illegal Israeli occupation, the Apartheid State of Israel and the ongoing brutalization of Palestinians, particularly those that live in Gaza.
Second, the statement clearly wants to lay all of the blame at the feet of Hamas, using phrases like “Hamas’ horrific terror attacks” and “unconscionable murder and hostage-taking of its citizens.” This statement was written after Israel started dropping thousands of bombs on Gaza, which is made up of civilians and a high number of children. In addition, Israel announced before this statement was written that the 1.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza needed to leave. Bombing Palestinian civilians, including children is an act of terrorism. Forcibly displacing and relocating the more than 1 million living in Gaza is a form of ethnic cleansing and it meets the definition of genocide, as stated in the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Third, the US Government announced before the statement written by Senator Peters and his colleagues, that they would be sending several billion dollars in US military aid to Israel, which is in a addition to the already $3.8 billion in US military aid that Israel automatically receives on an annual basis. The New York Times reported that the Biden Administration is asking for $14 billion for Israel in responses to the Hamas attacks. The new US military aid to Israel, along with the annual $3.8 billion the US provides, is the root cause of the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza.
Fourth, since the massive amounts of US military aid to Israel is part of the root cause of the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, this letter from Senator Peters and his colleagues is complete hypocrisy. In their statement, they refer to the humanitarian aid as, “lifesaving humanitarian assistance.” This further demonstrates the hypocrisy of their actions, because if the US really wanted to take action to provide “lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” they would stop sending Israel $3.8 billion in military aid every year. In fact, the hypocrisy of the US is reflected in the last paragraph of the statement from Sen. Peters and his colleagues, when it says, “The United States should continue its steadfast support for Israel while also doing our part to help the UN assist innocent civilians as they flee the violence.”
Lastly, it is worth pointing out that Senator Peters and his colleagues, along with the rest of Congress and the Biden Administration are well aware of the violence that the Israeli government perpetrates against the Palestinian people. US leaders are not in denial, they are ideologically compromised on this issue, partly because the pro-Israel Lobby makes significant contributions to most members of Congress.
Let us not be deceived by the hypocritical statement from Senator Peters and his colleagues and recognize that if the US really cared about the well being of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, they would stop sending billion in US Military Aid to Israel.
State Legislators are dragging their feet on adopting demands of the Rent is Too Damn High Coalition
People may remember that in early September there was a sizable rally at the Lansing State Capitol, organized by the coalition know as The Rent is Too Damn High!. GRIID attended that rally and wrote about it.
At the September 5th rally there were four overall demands by the housing justice coalition, which included:
- Rent Control – Remove the state-wide ban on rent control so municipalities can take action to stabilize rents and protect tenants.
- Social Housing – $4 billion for social housing in FY25 state budget.
- Housing First – $1 billion for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in FY25 state budget.
- A Renter’s Bill of Rights – Renters around the country are insisting on more protections against landlord abuse and empowerment of renters as a class
Ten days after the rally, there was legislation proposed to undo the existing state ban on rent control. The proposed legislation was introduced by Rep. Carrie Rheingans, known as HB 4947, which GRIID also wrote about.
Since mid September, people from the statewide Rent is Too Damn High coalition have been pressuring elected officials, both in their respective communities and by attending Committee meetings in Lansing. Unfortunately, the Housing committee meeting in the House of Representatives, has been cancelled for the third time in the past 6 weeks. previously. At this rate, the legislature might not achieve much of anything this year to help renters, despite the worsening cost-of-living crisis that we are all facing. This is because it is unlikely that any action will be taken after the Thanksgiving break and possibly even the week before, meaning that there are only a few weeks for committee meetings that could move proposed legislation on renters rights and rent control to be adopted immediately.
We have also heard that there are two Democrats in the State House that are on the ballot for November 7, running for local Mayoral seats. If they both win, there will be 2 less Democrats in the State House, thus removing the slim majority they currently hold. Next year, in 2024, it is an election year and State Legislators who are hoping to get re-elected will spent more time on their campaigns than they will making policy changes that the public wants to see happen, especially around issues like housing.
Therefore, the Rent is Too Damn High coalition is calling on people to contact the two representatives listed below, to insist that the Housing committee do its job and push through renters right, rent control bills before the House adjourns.
Committee Chair, Representative Kevin Coleman: (517) 373-2275
House Speaker, Representative Joe Tate: (517) 373-0857
Demand that they do the following three things:
1. Pass the Homeless Bill of Rights (HB 4919) through committee and through the full chamber
2. Pass the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act (HB 4878) through committee and through the full chamber
3. Hold a committee hearing on the Rent Control Preemption Repeal (HB 4947)
There is also an Action Alert that people can sign onto, which will send messages to the State Representative for your area. Just click on this link to send that Action Alert.
However, even if the state efforts to win Rent Control won’t happen through legislation, that doesn’t mean we can’t be working on Rent Control right now on a local level. Rent control campaigns have been won by getting tenants from specific Landlords or Property Management Companies, when tenants are organized.
What a landlord/Property Management Company rent control campaign would look like, is to organize tenants in a particular community who all rent from the same landlord or Property Management Company. If we begin to identify Landlords and Property Management Companies that own multiple properties, we could also connect with other communities in the state to see if these same Landlords and Property Management Companies have tenants in their cities. Building a statewide movement for rent control could also happen like this.
In fact, no tenant movement should put all their eggs in the basket of getting governments to adopt rent control, since we can do the work directly in our own communities right now. We can work on a rent control strategy that is 2 pronged, both government and landlord/Property Management Company as targets. Plus, the advantage of targeting Landlords and Property Management Companies is that you can demand more than just rent control, thus tackling multiple demands that would make any tenant movement more robust.
If you are a renter and this is something that you want to be involved in, then please contact the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union by sending an e-mail to gratunion@gmail.com or leaving a message on their Facebook page.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 