When VP Pick Suffered Palestine Issue
It's been 10 months since Israel's war on Gaza began, and Governor Tim Walz, the newly appointed vice-presidential nominee on Kamala Harris' ticket, has yet to meet with Palestinian families from his home state of Minnesota, anti-war activists have told. In other hand, some Jewish voters are upset Harris chose Walz over Josh Shapiro Shapiro states “this is obviously a very challenging situation and has been for hundreds if not thousands of years.” A make-believe story about Palestine is mainstream common sense: a since-biblical-times conflict rather than a British empire-sponsored settler colonial project. Many voters don't know that Walz wrote his masters thesis on how to improve education on the Holocaust. As governor, he pushed for a mandate to teach about the Holocaust in Minnesota schools
The accusations are in stark contrast to the public image being conjured up by the Democratic Party establishment to present Walz, along with presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, as more sympathetic and empathetic towards the carnage suffered by Palestinians over the past 10 months.
In March, Walz lauded the "uncommitted movement", describing the initiative to pressure President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire as "engaged".
"These are voters that are deeply concerned as we all are. The situation in Gaza is intolerable. And I think trying to find a solution, a lasting two-state solution, certainly the President’s move towards humanitarian aid and asking us to get to a ceasefire, that’s what they’re asking to be heard. And that’s what they should be doing," Walz said.
"We’ve gone through this before. And we know that now we make sure we’ve got eight months [to the election]. We start bringing these folks back in. We listen to what they’re saying," the governor added.
But according to several activists in Minnesota, not only has the governor refused to meet with Palestinian families who have lost relatives in Israel's war on Gaza, he has barely acknowledged their concerns and and demands.
Sana Wazwaz, the chapter lead and education coordinator for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Minnesota, told Palestinian community had been trying for months to arrange a meeting with the governor to talk about the devastating losses in Gaza and their demands for an arms embargo on Israel.
When they did manage to arrange a meeting with the governor for early July through the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR), it was cancelled even before it began.
Wazwaz says when the six-person contingent, made up of activists and representatives of families who had lost relatives in Gaza, made their way to the governor's office on 9 July, they were first asked to meet with his staff.
When they explained to the governor's staff that they had come to discuss "material solutions" with the governor and not merely to narrate "sob stories" about the loss of their loved ones - given that it was now almost a year since the war on Gaza began - the two staffers abruptly got up and returned 15-20 minutes later to inform them the meeting had been cancelled.
"[We said] we want to talk about actual material solutions; how we can rectify the situation; how we can stop the horror; stop the genocide, and one of these mechanisms is divestment. We want to talk about like actually pulling materially out of the institutions that are complicit in the slaughter of our family," Wazwaz said.
When asked why the meeting had been cancelled, they were told that the governor "was prepared to listen to you tell your stories, but we weren't prepared to talk about divestment".
They were told there was a process and that it was a complicated discussion that required a different set of staffers, Wazwaz said.
"So, essentially, the way we interpreted the situation was that Walz wanted our tears and not our policy demands. Walz wanted us for the PR stunt and not for actual, genuine conversation about political change. He didn't want that.
"He just wanted to check it off the list that he met with another marginalised group that he's been ignoring for months upon months," Wazwaz said.
Another participant at the meeting, Suleiman Adan, executive director of Cair-MN, corroborated Wazwaz's version of events.
Adan said it was made clear the meeting was not going to be a "trauma dump" and that the community instead had come to call on the governor to acknowledge the harm that continues to be inflicted on Palestinians, including those citizens belonging to the state of Minnesota.
Adan said it was already irregular to have been made to wait months for a meeting, but to have taken a Palestinian who had lost 40 members of their family to a meeting only to be snubbed was especially disheartening.
Anti-war and pro-Palestinian activists in Minnesota have been routinely calling for divestment and an arms embargo on Israel.
Moreover, activists have been calling on the state to repeal the anti-boycott legislation installed in 2017.
But Walz has shown little to no intention to repeal the law.
Pro-Palestine activists have also been urging the state of Minnesota to divest from its financial stakes in Israeli companies and bonds, said to be an estimated $119m.
In December, a group of 1,000 Palestinian solidarity activists in Minnesota interrupted the governor's Christmas party, in which they called on him to divest from Israel.
“Governor Walz has ignored our calls for the divestment of taxpayer dollars and public pension funds from Israeli apartheid. But he will never stop hearing from us or seeing us until he finally ends Minnesota's complacency in genocide,” Christine Hauschildt of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, said at the time.
Wazwaz, from AMP, said it was inconceivable that Walz or his staff could claim to have been unprepared for a discussion on divestment or an arms embargo.
"We have been trying for months to arrange a meeting. Phone calls have been made, but Governor Walz has refused to show up for any of the Palestinian families; has refused to sit down and meet with them, has refused to, you know, visit a single mosque or a single Palestinian institution to check in on our families," Wazwaz said.
Following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October, Walz ordered state flags across Minnesota to be flown at half-mast to mourn the victims. He also criticised those who did not condemn the attack.
“If you did not find moral clarity on Saturday morning, and you find yourself waiting to think about what you needed to say, you need to reevaluate where you’re at,” Walz said at the Beth El Synagogue in St Louis Park, Minnesota.
Activists also point out that Walz's nomination has also garnered praise from liberal pro-Israel lobbying groups in the US.
“We know the Harris-Walz team will stand up for our shared values, protect our community, and pursue smart, pro-Israel, pro-peace leadership abroad. We’re all in,” the liberal Zionist lobbying group, J Street, said.
Likewise, Mark Mellman, chair of the PAC affiliation with the group, Democratic Majority for Israel, described Walz as a "proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record of supporting the US-Israel relationship".
On Wednesday, Asma Mohammed, campaign manager for Vote Uncommitted Minnesota, told Democracy Now the Governor "has been pretty clear in his support for Israel in the past, and we know that".
Again, by Jennifer Koonings, one brightest member CODEPINK Alert
Jennifer Kooning and her friend Samantha, and also another codepink
founding member Ann Wright
[alongside
, in which celebrate her birthday yesterday.
At least 12-13 days Jennifer Koonings, PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE , one brilliant CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter under Medea Benjamin, hunger strike outside White House in the wake US complicit Genocidal Gaza. This is [click link] her writing as member of CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter. Jennifer is Certified Forensic Examiner for Adults and Children, really full knowledge about sexual assault, such as sexual assault by Israel to every Palestinian, like NYT reporting [photo uploaded].
We as Muslim prohibited to fasting at least 6 days for entire year [365, or 366 in leap year]. 2 Days Eid Fitr / Eid el-Fitr [1 Shawwal and 2 Shawwal / Syawal Syawwal], Day of Eid Adha / Eid el-Adha [10 Dzulhijjah / Dhul-Hijjah - today], and days of Tashriq [11th, 12th and 13th Dhul-Hijjah / Dzulhijjah, or in Gregorian Calendar 2024, the days of Tashriq means 17-19 June]. But doesn’t mean prohibited for ‘less eating or hunger strike.’ As sacrifice in DC at least 13 days by Jennifer Koonings just because her protest about Gaza, I keep ‘eating less’ not only for her but also for Palestine, at least until 19 June. And for June 20th, back again for nonmandatory fasting, normally 17-18 hours, as even Jennifer, with her gut, sacrifice herself for Gaza. Wisdom quote I hear since war [Israel - Gaza] nonstop ‘’...You can't make people care about a genocide happening right in front of their eyes. They either do immediately, or a chip is missing up there, and they never will.’
For solidarity, since she started to hunger strike, I put myself eat 1 very tiny plate/day for break the fasting and for entire day after, extreme fasting 16.5 hours [based on my location]. I’m still continued for hunger strike, because its very easy. In last 17 years, I already [minimum] 340 days / year to fasting [29 - 30 days for mandatory fasting for muslim, ramadan session, the rest is voluntary fasting / sunnah]. Photo Jennifer with ann Wright, retired retired US Army and also [Ann] retired State Department. Sometimes I’m fasting up to 22 hours / day because forgot to break my fasting.
Medea Benjamin Medea Benjamin Medea’s Substack and Jennifer Koonings Medea Benjamin
footage by CODEPINK Alert CODEPINK’s Newsletter, multiple nurses in DC, after humanitarian duty in Gaza
![Dem Operatives: [Best Hope] 'JOEVER' Biden Died Naturally, Immediately, Better, to 'Change the Horse'](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff7d57ea0-bc62-4f54-8043-64ceeca7124c_470x468.png "Dem Operatives: [Best Hope] 'JOEVER' Biden Died Naturally, Immediately, Better, to 'Change the Horse'")
Please keep donating to [1] PCRF / Palestine Children’s Relief Fund or [2] Freedom Flotilla.
As PCRF pictures by Dr Rajha in Gaza, Ariana Grande - Butera, and CODEPINK Alert
Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE part of CODEPINK AlertJen
Unlike Israeli and pro zionist student [very easy] get a money [thanks for multiple billionaire], contrary, Palestinian very hard to get a money [like encampments across the world]. Link attached by CODEPINK Alert Jen Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE is Nagham, same healthcare worker like Jennifer but in Palestine. 4 Weeks ago is Nagham’s birthday. Link to donate. Nagham is still alive after Rafah bombing 3 weeks ago.
Link to help journalist Abdelrahman Alkahout, Reshare by CODEPINK Alert
Jen Jennifer Koonings, PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE. Abdelrahman is still alive after Rafah bombing 3 weeks ago
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Yellow Flower, Jennifer Koonings in Betlehem [around 3pm local time West Bank, 5 weeks ago], nearly same exact result voting UNGA [11.17am NYC - Rockefeller Building of United Nations], 143 votes in favor, nine against, and 25 abstentions for Palestinian membership.
Footage by mine. Minutes before Jennifer
Jennifer Koonings literally singing also for foundation - charity movement Sing for Hope. How golden heart.
her mine
My mine. Doppelganger cat
Love you, Jennifer Koonings PMHNP, MS, MS, NYSAFE. Dont know how deteriorated of you after Hunger Strike