Rep. Huffman's Legislative Record on Palestine
About our Ratings. We take sides for Justice.
Desmond
Tutu here on the left was the esteemed Archbishop of South
Africa. Tutu stood courageously for justice, not only for
South Africa during the height of apartheid repression, but also in
support of Palestine liberation. Any action for justice on
Huffman's part will be given a "Tutu" award.
In contrast, we have Jeane Kirkpatrick, a senior advisor for President Reagan. Jeane was a strong apologist for the apartheid regime of South Africa (known as "constructive engagement" to defend US support of the apartheid regime), death squads in Central America and Pinochet’s regime in Chile, as well as the human rights violations of Israel. While her rhetoric was more brazen than most in public life, it did represent the political center of the Washington establishment, which is traditionally opposed to liberation movements around the world. In short, she represents clinging to an unjust and brutal status quo that disregards human life and aspirations of people around the world for a life of dignity, freedom, and justice. An action in supporting Israel's oppression of Palestinian rights will be given a "Jeane" award.
Actions during the 117th Congress 2021-2022
Cori Bush leads letter calling for action on halting evictions at Masafer Yatta.
May
31st, 2022 Rep. Bush’s policy
letter (NOT signed by Rep. Huffman) calls out Israel’s war
crimes and demands that the Biden administration pressure Israel to stop
its home demolitions and displacement. Over 65 organizations have
endorsed the letter, including partners across our movements, like NDN
Collective, the Movement for Black Lives, Jewish Voice for Peace,
Indivisible, and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). (Full
List)
This is the kind of letter, signed by 15 members of the House, that will lead to action. It not only calls out Israeli actions as a "war crime" but then details what actions these congressmembers will support if Israel does not halt these evictions, that are currently underway. More...
Rep. Stansbury & Sen. Merkley Letter on Evictions at Masafer Yatta.
May
26th, 2022 U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) and
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Ore.) led 81 Members, of Congress, including
Rep. Huffman, in urging Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to
immediately engage with the Israeli government on the potential
evictions of more than 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in Masafer
Yatta in the West Bank. In a bicameral
letter, the lawmakers raised urgent concerns that
evictions could spark violence and undermine human rights, international
law, and a diplomatic path to peace through a two-state solution.
While the J Street-supported letter lacks any call for possible consequences for Israel if it fails to halt these evictions, it is notable that it does go far enough to state “Evicting Palestinian people from their homes is inconsistent with international humanitarian law, according to Articles 49 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention."
Carson Letter urging US investigation of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's murder.
May
20th, 2022-57 U.S. Representatives, including Rep. Huffman,
signed onto this
letter to Secretary of State Blinkin on the matter of the killing of
well-loved Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. While the
letter falls short in some ways, most importantly in expressing
consequences for a finding of Israeli responsibility for what appears to
be a deliberate targeting of Abu Akleh, it is a significant step above
the Biden Adiministration's position of just letting Israel do its own
investigation.
Resolution before Congress to recognize Nakba and Palestinian Refugee Rights. Huffman needs to cosponsor.
May
16th, 2022-
H. Res. 1123 introduced by Rashida Tlaib, is
currently cosponsored by 6 members. Not including Rep. Huffman.
A Jeane award until he cosponsors. In a landmark move,
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced a resolution for Congress
to recognize the 1948 Nakba. The Nakba, meaning catastrophe in English,
marked the mass exodus of over 700,000 Palestinians from geographic
Palestine and the destruction of over 400 Palestinian towns and villages
following the 1948 Zionist invasion. Tlaib’s resolution was released
just one day after the 74th anniversary of the Nakba, and would require
the U.S. to fully recognize the historic events that led to the mass
displacement of Palestinian people. Read
More...
Huffman Signs Congressional Letter Urging Biden Administration to Push Back Against Palestinian Home Demolitions.
March
18th, 2022- Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s letter focuses on a village
under threat of demolition by the Israeli military. Rep. Huffman was one
of 50 signers from the House of Representatives. It urges the U.S. State
Department to engage with the Israeli government to prevent the
displacement of 38 families in the Palestinian village of al-Walaja. The
proposed demolition of these homes would impact about 300 men, women,
and children. Some of these families can trace their ancestors back to
this village back to the 1600’s. It is part of the Israeli government
tradition of changing “facts on the ground” and pushing Palestinians
into ever smaller parts of historic Palestine.
Link to
Press Release and the
letter.
Huffman talks of J Street trip to Israel/Palestine
March 16th, 2022-While we oppose the J Street approach of opposing real consequences for Israel’s total disregard for international law, it seems this trip did convince Rep. Huffman that maybe the traditional U.S. approach is not getting anyone closer to a resolution. How far Huffman will go to demand real change remains to be seen. Check out this excellent article in Mondoweiss, that includes a video of the talk Rep. Huffman and Rep. Wexton talking with J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami.
Huffman
Cosponsors HR 2748, the Normalize Ethnic Cleansing bill.
We lobbied Rep. Huffman against this odious bill heavily supported by AIPAC, a lobby for war and occupation. HR 2748, officially known as the "Israel Relations Normalization Act "was legislation that promoted a Trump-era weapons deals to authoritarian Arab regimes in return for political support, (or at least quiet acquiescence) as Israel continues its violent dispossession of the Palestinian people of their homes. This bill will not bring peace, but only reinforce the unjust status quo. We put up a petition online. We had a vigil. Rep. Huffman never responded. Read More about the bill.
This bill never came to a vote in the House. Instead, the wording was included in a must-pass omnibus bill (HR 2471) in a shameful maneuver by the House leadership, mixing many vital domestic programs with this wording from 2748 as well as aid to Israel for more weapons, making principled opposition very difficult. We will continue to lobby Huffman to turn away from this trumpian approach to "peace" that will only bring more violence, more oppression.
Huffman stays silent as Israel criminalizes six human rights organizations. HR 751 needs his support.
The
Jeane award will remain here until Congressman Huffman takes action. We
are usually reluctant to issue a rating for an act of omission, but the
action by the Israeli government is so outrageous and stands as a model
for authoritarian regimes everywhere. Silence is betrayal.
In an escalation of Israel's ongoing repression of Palestinian resistance to its separate-and-unequal apartheid regime, Israel on Oct. 22, 2021 criminalized six vital Palestinian human rights organizations. Decades of Israeli impunity has led to this moment. Now, Israel is escalating to this blatant threat to indefinitely detain human rights workers and shut down their organizations, simply for reporting on Palestinian suffering and survival under Israel's ethnic cleansing—but outrage from the grassroots is forcing action, including from members of Congress, and we need you to add your voice! Sign the petition.
Huffman supports bill prohibiting use of US aid in violating rights of Palestinian children and families. HR 2590
May
2021- Congressmen
Huiffman did not cosponsor previous versions of this bill, despite heavy
lobbying. We are happy that he has chosen to do so here. A well-deserved
Tutu Award.
HR 2590 will prohibit Israel from using U.S. taxpayer dollars on the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; to support the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or on any support or assistance for Israel’s unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory in violation of international humanitarian law. More info.
Huffman Signs Letter to Sec. Blinken to halt illegal evictions in Sheikh Jarrah
May
2021-The
forced displacement of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah is a blatant human rights violation. Congressman Huffman signed a letter created by Rep. Newman and Pocan
to call on Secretary of State Blinken to exert diplomatic pressure on Israel to halt these evictions.
See the letter attached to Rep. Newman's
tweet. Read more about Israel's attack on this Palestinian
community. Amnesty International
says that: Forcible transfer is a war crime and a pillar of Israel’s
system of apartheid.