Palestinians excluded from US bid to protect human rights activism

US Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland and chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has launched a campaign to showcase the human rights challenges facing people around the world. But the campaign intentionally excludes any reference to human rights violations committed by Israel.

In January, Cardin introduced the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act, including a “Truth to Power” provision to showcase a wide variety of human rights campaigns on social media. The first “Truth to Power” video was released last week.

The campaign aims to spotlight a wide range of causes, featuring activists from Ukraine, Tajikistan, Iran, Uganda, Kenya, Nicaragua, Cuba and Vietnam. However, it excludes pro-Palestinian activism. The Human Rights Defenders Protection Act makes no mention at all of those who protest against the human rights violations committed by Israel.

“Human rights defenders are heroes in the fight for democracy and freedom. Yet, attacks against them are rapidly growing around the world, underscoring an urgent and critical need for the United States to do more to protect and support them,” Cardin, a Jewish senator who has aggressively condemned the students who have protested against Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, said in a press statement.

It was launched to enhance awareness of human rights activism, with the exception of Palestinians and their supporters

Ray Hanania

The Human Rights Defenders Protection Act complements legislation Cardin introduced in 2016 called the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which imposes a wide range of penalties on individuals responsible for "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”

In April, Cardin ramped up his assault on pro-Palestinian student activists, who he accused of being antisemitic for demanding a ceasefire and an investigation into Israel’s human rights violations in Gaza. He introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act to target the protesters on college campuses, defining their criticism of Israel as being antisemitic.

“Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, we’ve seen a disturbing increase in antisemitic incidents on American campuses. I am pleased to join Sens. Casey and Scott’s legislation, which meets the seriousness of this moment by providing the Department of Education with clear guidance as to the need to address the full scope of discriminatory, antisemitic behavior,” Cardin said when introducing the bill that conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

But even that was not enough for Cardin and other anti-Arab members of the US Senate, who have seen a huge spike in protests and social media posts detailing Israel’s abuses in Gaza. So, the high-profile “Truth to Power” campaign was launched to enhance the public’s awareness of human rights activism, with the exception of Palestinians and their supporters.

The phrase “Truth to Power” has often been used by pro-Palestine student activists, who have been threatened, beaten, charged with felony crimes and even expelled from their colleges to prevent them from graduating in an effort to silence their protests against Israel’s genocide.

Cardin’s campaign includes the production of documentaries, funded by the US government, that showcase and inspire human rights activism. They aim to give activists a foundation to build public awareness of their issues and actions.

Cardin is one of the top recipients of pro-Israel funding for his election campaigns, receiving nearly $1 million since 1990

Ray Hanania

“By showcasing the efforts of those who risk their lives for justice, we hope to expand the understanding of global struggles beyond our own borders. This is about building bridges between people, showing the common threads of dignity, hope and perseverance that bind us all,” Cardin said.

The US Congress has designated hundreds of millions of US tax dollars to fund the goals of the campaign, such as to highlight human rights violations and the unstated goal of excluding pro-Palestinian activism.

Why is Cardin excluding Palestinians from his heightened concern for human rights? It may have something to do with the fact that Cardin is not only extremely pro-Israel and has long been a critic of Palestinian activists, but also that he is one of the top recipients of pro-Israel funding for his election campaigns, receiving nearly $1 million since 1990.

Lobbyists, even those representing the interests of foreign governments, have always had an inordinate amount of influence over members of the Congress through such donations. The American Israel Public Affairs Council, a network of pro-Israel political action committees, has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of lawmakers such as Cardin.

In return, I assume that it expects more than just a social media campaign. It wants actions that impact American public opinion and create a fictional wall separating protests against the human rights violations of other countries from the pro-Palestinian activism that exposes Israel’s ongoing war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza.

The American dollar is certainly very powerful.

• Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania