“Arab-American and Muslim voters alone do not have the power to change the course of U.S. policy towards Israel. What we need to do is build a coalition with a lot of allies… Who is the person that is going to allow us to do that organizing?”
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Still on the fence about tomorrow’s presidential election? Or maybe you’re voting for Jill Stein? A global bystander? Or, are you reluctantly voting for Kamala Harris? Maybe sitting the election out, and grappling with the many feelings of confusion, anger, disappointment, and concern ahead of the US presidential election?
Whatever it may be, have a listen to this compelling conversation with progressive Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, from Washington State, where she took dozens of questions from Zeteo subscribers. It’s the first Town Hall Q&A Zeteo has hosted where our paid subscribers were able to directly ask questions to a sitting member of Congress.
Rep. Jayapal, the Progressive Caucus Chair, who has voted against sending military aid to Israel and has advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza since last October, talked about Kamala Harris’ position on Gaza, why Jayapal and other pro-Palestinian progressives are still endorsing Harris, what kind of coalitions are building in the background (and the threat to them under a Trump presidency), the “Medicare for All” campaign, and much more. If you’ve got 30 minutes, have a watch.
“Arab-American and Muslim voters alone do not have the power to change the course of U.S. policy towards Israel,” Jayapal says. “What we need to do is build a coalition with a lot of allies. And if we want to do that, we have to think about who is the person that is going to allow us to do that organizing? Where is the fertile ground going to be? Because there are many of us within the Democratic Party who are pushing for a change in policy. But under a Donald Trump administration, we will not have that opportunity.”
“We had the first vote with over 60 Democratic members saying they didn't want to send more money to Israel this year,” she reminded the audience. “That was an incredible vote. We've never had anything like that. We are working towards building sustained power.”
She also talked about AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby (not just their recent wins, but how they’ve lost battles too), the effect Donald Trump will have on organizers, and even what she remembers from being trapped inside Congress on January 6th, 2021 - and what that taught her about this country.
If you’d like to join the next Town Hall Q&A, as a live audience member and asking questions, become a paid subscriber today.
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