As a proud Palestinian-American, I have always passionately supported the dream of an Palestinian self-determination free from occupation and oppression.
For that to occur, Israel must end its genocidal campaign in Gaza and the illegal occupation of the West Bank. Under the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and full recognition by the United Nations as an equal party to the peace process. If elected, I will strongly push for the United States to drop all efforts to oppose this, and work to have the U.S. establish bilateral relations with a sovereign and independent State of Palestine. I’m also a believer in the “Right to Return,” for all those displaced by nearly a century of ethnic cleansing to return to their ancestral homes.
Ending the Genocide in Gaza
- The ongoing genocide needs to end now.
- There is no acceptable scenario that envisions a permanent Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, or the West Bank.
- An unlimited surge of aid, including medical supplies and food, should be immediately allowed in and distributed to all in need.
- There is no acceptable scenario that leaves Hamas in charge of the Gaza Strip.
- Any attempt to displace the people of Palestine from their homes is a war crime under international law, and Kat believes that it is impossible to be a good ally to a nation practising ethnic cleansing, apartheid, or genocide.
- I’m proposing a formal United Nations Peacekeeping mission, similar to that undertaken during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, to maintain a formal, militarized buffer zone between Israel and Palestine. If elected, I will push the United States to commit more troops to the peacekeeping mission, and hope that other nations that have been historical contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts, such as India and China, will participate as well.
- I also believe that the United Nations should be allowed to conduct an unrestricted investigation into war crimes committed by both sides during the conflict, and that those responsible for atrocities be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court, as is consistent with international law.
Full International Recognition of Palestine and its Sovereign Territory
- I firmly believe that both the Israeli and Palestinian people deserve to be on equal footing, and that means having the United States formally recognize the State of Palestine as sovereign and independent, and dropping our opposition at the United Nations to recognition by international organizations.
- Part of being a responsible member of the international community is having an elected government. I’m proposing that the United Nations prepare and administer new, democratic, and fair elections for the Palestinian people, in order to capacity-build and strengthen the mandate of the new government.
- The United States must immediately accredit an ambassador from the State of Palestine, and send a corresponding Ambassador to Ramallah.
- The United States must insist that Israel fully withdraw from the Occupied Territories and remove all settlements – this includes East Jerusalem, which is the chosen capital of the Palestinian State.
- No matter how the Israeli and Palestinian people democratically decide (and it must be democratic) to govern the region – either as one unified state or two separate ones – full legal and civil rights for all, regardless of religion, race, sex, gender, sexuality, place of birth, or political belief must be the foundation of the region with secular governance.
Capacity-Building and Permanent Aid
- The State Department must work with the National Democratic Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and other foreign capacity-building entities to aid in the reconstruction of Palestine’s civic institutions, in partnership with the United Nations.
- I’m proposing that the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Commerce Department, the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and other federal departments and agencies immediately make available to the State of Palestine 100 billion dollars in aid, portions of which can be distributed as a loan, for the reconstruction of Gaza’s infrastructure.
- In line with the terms of a ceasefire mediated and enforced by the United Nations, the Department of Defense must fully deploy to Israel and begin construction on a proper de-militarized zone between the two nations, in line with international law.
- Reparations and the Palestinian Right to Return must be prioritized for any peace process. The execution of these priorities can take many forms, from the actual return of property to compensation for land seized under the terms of eminent domain. Peace without justice isn’t really peace, and we must use our unique leverage to achieve a just outcome for all, or we risk repeating the very patterns of abuse that got us here.
An International Jerusalem and the Right to Worship
- I believe that in line with international law and the will of the United Nations, that Jerusalem, both West and East, must be a place where all are welcomed. Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of all faiths must be allowed to worship without fear of persecution, and that includes the Palestinians.
- I propose that the United Nations, in cooperation with the aforementioned peacekeeping operation, should deploy international troops to secure sites of worship and neutral corridors, so that any and all may traverse the city freely.
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