Joseph SabroskiAs Israel’s Operation Protective Edge gives protection to little more than the occupation and imprisonment of Gaza, Congress’s declarations of support for Israeli aggression have once again shown an utter disregard for rising levels of international and domestic uproar over U.S. policy toward Israel.
Every now and then, though, dissent manages to break through.
During a demonstration on Wednesday, July 30th in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a community of Palestine solidarity protesters, led by a local organization called the Antiwar Committee, took their protest directly to campaign headquarters for the re-election of U.S. Senator Al Franken.
Protesters probably were not expecting to win a rare opportunity to speak directly with the senator himself.
The Antiwar Committee planned the demonstration specifically to protest Franken’s recent co-sponsorship of Senate Resolution 498, a measure which “reaffirms the support of the Senate for Israel’s right to defend its citizens…condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket fire…[and] calls on the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve the unity governing arrangement with Hamas.”
According to Meredith Aby-Keirstead, spokesperson for the Antiwar Committee, there were an estimated 300 protesters in attendance. While most participants came to protest Senator Franken outside his office, a small number of activists had a more direct confrontation in mind.
These participants intended to stage a “die-in,” a tactic often used by pro-Palestine activists during periods of Israeli aggression in which participants pretend to be murdered Palestinian civilians. Somewhere between 16-20 of these activists entered Franken’s basement headquarters at 2610 University Avenue, demanding to speak to the senator over the phone. According to Aby-Keirstead, the tactic was planned and sanctioned by the Antiwar Committee.
iPhone and notebook in hand, I followed them downstairs.
A lady in a white shirt reading “Free Palestine” recited the names of Palestinians killed in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, as fellow activists sat or laid on the floor chanting “Presente!” after each name was spoken. An elderly activist in boat shoes relaxed on the couch.
One of the activists held a sign with the slogan, “Franken: Start Seeing Gaza.” Another sign read, “Franken: Represent MN; not AIPAC.” At least four police officers milled about, monitoring the activists but stopping short of expelling or arresting them, for the time being. Some campaign staff appeared to be consulting with one of the officers.
The naming of names went on, at times erupting into protest slogans. To my surprise, however, the activists were granted their wish to have a direct conversation with the senator.
A campaign staff member came out and announced that Franken had agreed to speak to the activists over the phone. As we gathered inside a conference room, staff members dialed the senator, who was in Washington, D.C. The room was tense as everyone waited to hear his voice on speakerphone.
“I appreciate hearing from you, and certainly respect your right to protest and your passion,” Senator Franken said.
Activist Jess Sundin opened right away with a provocative line of questioning. I recorded the exchange on my iPhone:
“Senator Franken, people of this community have been trying to meet with you to talk to you about the campaign of genocide Israel is carrying out in Gaza…we are outraged at the crimes Israel is committing, we are outraged at endless US support for those crimes…and especially at your as role as Senator of Minnesota, where most people do not support what Israel is doing…we are here today because we need you to switch sides…we need you to denounce the criminal genocide that is being carried out by Israel every day. Are you willing to do that?”
Senator Franken replied, “Uh, look, I, when it comes to the conflict in Gaza [inaudible] want to end as quickly as possible…the loss of life is horrific, and I would, uh, you know, would love there to be a ceasefire…you and I are not going to agree on your characterization of what’s going on there.”
Another protester interjected, “Our tax dollars are funding those rockets that are killing children…tax dollars that you authorized to send there, and then to top it off, you sponsored…a resolution in support of killing children in Gaza…How do you justify the bombings that are being done in our name, with our support, and our tax dollars?”
“What, uh, our dollars are doing is supporting the Iron Dome…that’s what our dollars are going directly to…”
“Three billion dollars a year, just for the Iron Dome?”
Senator Franken doubled down: “Well, when it comes to the conflict here, that’s what our dollars are doing, and those are knocking down about 85% of the rockets that are coming from Gaza.”
When asked by another activist whether Palestinians had a right to defend themselves, the Senator responded: “Look, I believe in a two-state solution. I, I’d love nothing more than there to be a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the way toward that is a negotiated two-state solution.”
At this point, I posed a question to the senator: “In Resolution 498, it calls on Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve his unity government…how do you reconcile that with the fact that…in the process, Hamas recognized Israel; they agreed to the Quartet’s terms…why would you call for the dissolution of that?”
To which Franken responded: “Hamas did not recognize Israel…I think we disagree on your characterization.”
I went on: “Can you comment on the Israeli crackdown in the West Bank that preceded this entire escalation: the re-arresting of prisoners formerly exchanged in the Gilad Shalit deal, the killing of at least six Palestinians; do you not consider that an escalation?”
His answer was not entirely clear, but he seemed to argue that the crackdown in the West Bank came after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, or was just a response to the kidnapped settler teens: “Well, you know, look, the history of this is, that those rockets preceded that, were preceding that, and that that [the crackdown] was a response to these three teenagers being killed.”
Outside of the office, passionate chants of “Free, free Palestine” thundered in lockstep. The conference call ended, and I went outside to observe the protest.
I had already interviewed various participants and bystanders to get a sense of what they thought of Israel’s war on Gaza, and Franken’s undying support for it. Mohammed Abumeyaleh, a resident of Saint Paul, said he was there “to protest U.S. funding for Israel, that is being used to kill innocent civilians in Gaza.”
“We’re here to protest Al Franken, one of many Senators who signed onto a bill that unanimously and unconditionally supports Israel,” Abumeyaleh said. “When you put people under siege, under occupation, when you make conditions that are so unbearable, so miserable, and the people can’t get anything done through diplomacy, there is only one option left, and for them they are fighting for their lives, for their freedom.”
Asked if he saw any noticeable trends in support for Palestinians, Mohammed replied, “I think there is an increase in pro-Palestinian support, and I think it’s because people are becoming more and more aware of what Israel is doing…the Palestinians are attracting a lot of support because people are seeing that they are actually the victims in this situation.”
Dr. Imed Labidi, a professor of Cultural Studies and French at the University of Minnesota, gave a brief analysis of the conflict in general while holding a sign that read, “No U.S. Aid to Israel.”
“You’re really looking at a condition where things are getting out of hand, and you don’t really see anything being done that is meaningful to stop…1,200 dead, and almost 7,000 injured. Not to talk about the displacement of, again, thousands of families…we really need to see something meaningful at the level of the White House, in terms of basically putting more pressure to stop the killing and the crimes,” Labidi said.
On the state of congressional politics and unanimous support for Senate Resolution 498, Dr. Labidi commented: “We’re looking at almost a condition of fragmentation, where clearly traditional politics isn’t working. So we really need to be realistic in terms of what kind of policies and what kind of transformation is needed. At this point we’re not seeing anything meaningful, and that’s unfortunate.”
Also present at the demonstration was Dr. Mazhar Alzoby, a professor of Politics and Culture at Qatar University.
I asked Dr. Alzoby what he thought Senator Franken’s co-sponsorship of Resolution 498 said about congressional politics in the context of popular sentiment:
“The problem with the congressional approach to crises in the Middle East is that it’s fundamentally colored by the larger interest of political survivability. In other words, if Al Franken and others think of their re-election as the primary goal of their political approach to all these crises, for them any kind of critical approach to crises in the Middle East will jeopardize their re-election; in other words they are precisely doing what they’re not supposed to do.
In my opinion, having sort of witnessed the issues of politics of the Middle East for the last 15-20 years in the US, I’m sensing a shift in the popular and public approach…I think the media has been troubled trying to both follow and account for how the public and the popular perception of those crises are, and their ideological and institutional needs. In that sense I think the Congress has that kind of problem, where they have to have institutional and ideological interests maintained, and the popular and public approach is a little bit different, and perhaps ahead of their own position on this issue.”
Later that evening, police officers arrested 16 of the protesters. I filmed some of them being zip-tied and hauled out of the office one at a time, as they were greeted as heroes by protesters cheering outside. According to Tarik Rasouli, who was among those arrested, the police charged the demonstrators with misdemeanor violations, but released them shortly thereafter.
Around this time, I came across a press release via email from Alexandra Fetissoff, a spokesperson for the Franken campaign.
“Freedom of speech is a first amendment right that Sen. Franken strongly values. We welcome the protestors today and appreciate that they are expressing their views to Sen. Franken and the campaign.”
While Congress unabashedly continues to operate within a strictly pro-Israel paradigm, Palestine solidarity in the United States is becoming harder to avoid, as the antiwar activists of the Twin Cities made clear this week. What remains to be seen is what impact, if any, these movements will have on progressive politics come mid-term congressional elections this fall.
Hear the full conversation:
Watch the protest:
