U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against the State of Israel, USPCN released a statement on the “Unified Palestinian Resistance” claiming the attack was a “legitimate response to unending violence from Israel’s extreme right-wing, racist, white supremacist, Zionist government and settler movement.” ²

Background and Activities

The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) was founded in 2006 to support Palestinian communities within the United States through advocacy work and community organizing. The group supports the formation of a Palestinian state while supporting the “right of resistance against Zionist occupation and colonization of all Palestinian and Arab Lands.” ¹

USPCN has supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement which advocates for isolating the State of Israel economically through consumer boycotts, business and government withdrawal of investment, and legal sanctions. USPCN also opposes the alleged “whitewashing [of] Israeli crimes,” supports Palestinian prisoners, supports Palestinian cultural events and tours within Gaza and the West Bank, and holds pro-Palestinian educational events. ¹

In 2008, the USPCN organized its first “Palestinian Popular Conference in the United States,” which it claims had roughly 1,200 attendees and advocated for the “struggle for national liberation.” ¹

The group claims credit for the creation of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) initiative which was created in 2010. ³ SJP is considered to be the leading pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel college group in the United States by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). ⁴

The group protested 2010 negotiations between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel in Washington, D.C., claiming that the PA had not acted in the best interests of Palestinians during the negotiations. ⁵ It and other groups conducted a sit-in at the office of Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in November 2019, bringing a handful of protestors who urged the congresswoman to support anti-Israel legislation. ⁶

USPCN organized a protest against U.S.-Iran tensions in early 2020, calling for an end to sanctions against Iran. ⁷ The protestors reportedly blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for increased tensions against Iran after Trump ordered the assassination of senior Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was a lead organizer of Iran-sponsored terrorism against the U.S. in the Middle East. ⁸

USPCN also organized an Arab-American dance group’s tour to honor National Arab American Heritage Month, an unofficial holiday. The dance group’s director described Palestinians as living under an “occupation.” ⁹

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against the State of Israel, USPCN released a statement on the “Unified Palestinian Resistance” claiming the attack was a “legitimate response to unending violence from Israel’s extreme right-wing, racist, white supremacist, Zionist government and settler movement.” ²

In 2025, the USPCN was listed as both an endorser and “Steering committee organization” for the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA), a coalition that opposes what it calls the “racist and reactionary” policies enacted by the second Trump Administration. ^{10 11}

Funding

The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) was previously fiscally sponsored by the WESPAC Foundation, a left-of-center nonprofit that has supported the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In 2023, USPNC received $50,000 from the Solidaire Network, a left-of-center donor group for advancing race and gender-based causes, through the WESPAC Foundation. ^{12 2}

As of 2024, USPCN no longer directed supporters to donate through WESPAC while requesting donors to directly donate to it. ²

Additionally, USPCN received a $10,000 grant from the SparkPlug Foundation in 2018 for its Youth Development Leadership Initiative. ¹³ It also received a $100 donation from the Benjamin Fund in 2015. ¹⁴

USPCN also supports itself through membership dues of $50 per person and $25 per student per year. ¹⁵

Leadership

Hatem Abudayyeh is the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). Abudayyeh is also the executive director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), a Chicago-based advocacy group that provides social and other services to the local Arab-American community, holding that role since 1999. Abudayyeh was a national coordinating committee member for USPCN upon its founding in 2006 until 2010 and rejoined the national coordinating committee in 2012. ^{16 17}