Dear Congresswoman Tlaib,

We applaud the stances you have taken for freedom and justice. For years, while most of our well-intentioned allies were advocating the two-state proposal, you have instead stood for the universal principles of equality and democracy. Despite the enormous pressure you are under, you have tirelessly advocated for the transition from occupation and apartheid to One Democratic State, a state for all its citizens, from the river to the sea.

As you well know, this progressive and inclusive endeavor has been the Palestinian vision for liberation even since before the Nakba. By supporting it, you are not only taking a stand for Palestine, but also for Jews that the Zionist project has used to colonize Palestine and in whose name it is committing genocide. And by refusing the two-state proposal in favor of a secular and democratic solution for Palestine, you are also taking a stand for the health and cohesion of US society.

Indeed, the danger of the two-state proposal is not limited to Palestine. An attempt to resolve the violence in Palestine by means of separating Jews from non-Jews is based on the premise that mankind is composed of identity groups that are inherently belligerent, and that violence can only be averted by keeping these tribe-like groups separate. This identitarian worldview is not only racist, but also extremely dangerous to the fabric of all societies in the world since they naturally consist of a mix of identities, like ethnicity, religion, gender, and others. US society is particularly vulnerable to this: Recent polls alarmingly indicate that nearly half US voters agree it is time to split the country in two, on identitarian grounds. In this sense, normalizing the two-state proposal fragments not only the Palestinian society it is targeting but all societies it interacts with—including the USA. US representatives and politicians who refuse this identitarian vision are fulfilling their moral obligation toward us as well as living up to their political duty before their own constituents and society.

Thank you, Congresswoman Tlaib, for having taken the lead on the road to freedom, justice and equality in both Palestine and the USA. We, the One Democratic State Initiative and all Palestinians signing this letter, call on all other politicians to follow. We call on our fellow Palestinians in the USA to be vocal about their support of the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state from the river to the sea. We urge all US citizens to forget about “lessers of two evils” and to give their votes only to candidates who adopt such a clear stance. Finally, we urge all to join political organizations that oppose the weaponizing of identities everywhere, supporting both a transition from Zionism to freedom and democracy in Palestine, and a truly secular stance in the USA.

18623 Palestinians have signed this letter. You may view their names here.

If you agree to the content of this letter, we invite you to sign up as a supporter of our vision: