Debates in the Palestine movement over the US presidential election

Three Palestine activists spoke to Thomas Foster about the US presidential election on Tuesday

A Palestine protest at Columbia university earlier this year (Picture: Columbia SJP)

Monday 04 November 2024

 SOCIALIST WORKER Issue

The Democrats’ support for Israel’s genocide has pushed hundreds of thousands of voters away from the party in the United States presidential election.

“I can’t stand the genocide in Gaza and can’t vote for either candidate,” Annon, a campaigner in Portland in Oregon, told Socialist Worker.

“Both seem to have no sympathies for Palestinians or admit it’s a genocide. Where does that leave someone who wants peace and to end US imperialism?

“I have friends who say that, if we don’t vote for Kamala Harris, we will lose our rights. But what about the Palestinians?”

Annon says he will vote for Green party candidate Jill Stein “because at least they propose peace”. “If the Green party got 5 percent of the vote, it would entitle them to government funding and make them more viable,” he said.

The leadership of the uncommitted movement, which mobilised more than 700,000 to vote “uncommitted” in Democratic party primaries, announced it won’t endorse Harris.

But the leadership went on to say that they’re “not recommending a third-party vote in the presidential election”. Instead, they “urge uncommitted voters to register anti-Trump votes and vote up and down the ballot”.

“Our focus remains on building this anti-war coalition, both inside and outside the Democratic party,” they said.

But many activists argue the focus should be on grassroots organising.

Nathaniel, a student at a community college in Arizona, was involved in the Palestine encampments. He said the encampments “were a good start” as they were “a militant movement in the fight against universities being complicit with Israel’s project”.

“Many student activists have argued to not vote for the Democrats and instead fight,” he told Socialist Worker.

Annon is wary about the Democratic leadership pacifying that fight back. “When Barack Obama came in, he said he was going to end wars,” he argued. “He didn’t, but the peace movement virtually disappeared under the guise of you can’t embarrass Obama.

“If Harris wins, there will be pressure on the Palestine movement to stop.”

That’s why Mike, a teacher in Michigan, said it’s “important to keep up the pressure” whoever wins. “It was great there were protests at the Democratic convention,” he told Socialist Worker. “We should have protests whenever Harris or her proxies speak.”

He thought it was necessary to “remind people that we have not gone away or will forget the Democrats’ support for genocide in Palestine”.

Nathaniel criticises sections of the Palestine movement that have “submitted to the Democratic party, which leads to a downgrading of radical aims and that’s a problem”. “Some have put out a statement saying they can’t endorse Harris because she’s perpetuating genocide but we can’t let Trump win either,” he said.

“It’s surely implying a vote for Harris. But we need more people to be militantly against both.

“Some adopt the strategy of voting Democrats in the here and now and creating a left wing alternative after the election. But that only gives more power to the two party system—it’s a flawed strategy.”

Mike thought that “there is a difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump”. “It’s a mistake to say there’s none,” he said. “But there’s no fundamental difference in terms of what class interest they represent—they are both pro-war and pro-corporate candidates.”

He argues, “The left shouldn’t call for a vote for Harris. But in the absence of a viable left alternative, it shouldn’t make a big thing out of not voting for her”.

“Overall, Trump’s political project is authoritarian and a dream of minimal protections for workers and the environment”. And he said Trump’s policies are “a shopping list of fantasies of the far right”.

Mike also argued that “whoever wins the election, we need to mobilise”. “If Harris wins, we need to push over Palestine,” he said. “If Trump wins, we need to organise resistance. It will be activists that are key to this.”

He saw hope in the uncommitted movement, which “got significant votes and organised around specific issues”. “It was a genuine left challenge to the Democrats,” he said. “I think the holy grail of a viable left is more likely to come out of the uncommitted movement than the labour movement, which is very top down.”

Nathaniel argued for an alternative focused on struggles outside of elections, saying, “Political power is found in social struggles, not just the ballot box.

“We need to completely break with the Democrats. We need a party that unites the labour, student and social movements together and builds on the fight of workers.”

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