END PROPAGANDA TRIPS TO ISRAEL

Skip the Trip

 
 

WHAT'S THE CAMPAIGN ABOUT?

At the same time that Israel denies Palestinians their freedom of movement and bans millions of refugees from returning to their homes, pro-Israel groups fund trips for US public officials to freely travel to Israel. These trips strengthen US political support for Israel by whitewashing Israel’s human rights violations.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? 
 

  1. Pass legislation to implement a code of ethics for public officials related to such trips. Check if such trips violate existing ethics rules and if so, use those existing rules as leverage for public pressure against the trip.
     

  2. Pressure politicians who have gone on these trips to disclose trip details, funders, and what they were expected to do once back.  
     

  3. Petition specific city/county/state legislators to pledge publicly they will boycott such an opportunity when/if invited.

Success Stories

SYRACUSE MAYOR

Syracuse activists placed an op-ed for their bold “don’t tour apartheid Israel” campaign in the local paper. They referenced military aid and Movement for Black Lives Policy platform, native rights, and sanctuary policies to deftly and meaningfully draw cross movement connections.

"I WILL NOT BE USED"

While so far campaigns to challenge politicians’ propaganda trips have been few and far between, US Campaign helped steer a wildly successful open letter campaign to get half a dozen NFL players to drop out of a propaganda trip to Israel. Then-Seattle Seahawks player and Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett publicly announced that he would not go on the trip, famously saying, "I will not be used in such a way." The campaign brought more football fans into work for freedom, justice, and equality for Palestinians.

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Protesters outside Syracuase City Hall calling on the mayor to skip the trip. 
Image via Tom Magnarelli, WRVO News