In the run-up to the August 17 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee is calling for public recommendations for the 2020 platform through written submissions and video messages. 

Alongside dozens of former Obama officials and Democratic voters living in Israel, hundreds of American rabbis and thousands of student activists, we’re calling on the Democratic Party Platform to include explicit recognition of Palestinian rights and clear opposition to Israeli government actions which undermine peace and security, including settlement expansion, unilateral annexation and indefinite occupation.

Below, you can find a sample script and key messages from Jewish leaders, foreign policy professionals and student activists across the country. Please take a moment now to send a message directly to the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee. 

Send video message

Send written message

The message

Here are some useful points to hit in your written or video message:

• As Democrats we must support Israel’s founding principles of democracy and equality — principles which underpin the US-Israel relationship.
• Annexation, occupation and settlement expansion do nothing to enhance Israel’s security. They threaten Israel’s democratic character and its long-term future as a homeland for the Jewish people — we must stand with progressive voices in Israel and warn against these destructive steps.
• Healing our nation at home and abroad means restoring America’s moral authority by standing up for human rights, supporting international law and opposing unilateral annexation whether it occurs in Crimea, the South China Sea or the Palestinian West Bank.
• Democrats must join thousands of American Jewish leaders and organizations who have spoken out against annexation — including the Anti-Defamation League and all major religious movements.
• The Trump administration is trying to turn the US-Israel relationship into a partisan wedge issue — we can’t let that happen. We need to reaffirm our values, unite the party and provide a clear vision of a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.
• This isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the politically popular thing to do. Polls show that the vast majority of Jewish and Democratic voters support a two-state solution and want America to play a constructive, even-handed role in resolving the conflict.

And here is a sample script (for best results, draft a message in your own voice):

When it comes to the US-Israel relationship, past platforms have rightly included recognition of the importance of ensuring Israeli security and our shared democratic values.

But over the past four years, encouraged by President Trump, the Israeli government has threatened those democratic principles and brought the country to the brink of unilateral annexation.

President Trump has repeatedly undermined our diplomatic relationship with the Palestinians, shutting down diplomatic offices and shutting them out of the peace process.

In order to restore America’s standing abroad and heal our divides at home, the time has come for our platform to recognize the legitimate rights and freedoms of the Palestinian people, and to oppose Israeli government actions which threaten those rights, including settlement expansion, unilateral annexation and indefinite occupation.

After the damage wrought by Trump, it’s time to recommit to achieving the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and to ensuring Israel’s long-term security as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people.