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United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (USCEIO)

Location:

Washington, DC
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Type:

Foreign Affairs Initiative
Status:

Rebranded as United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR)
Formation:

2001 (rebranded in 2016)
Director:

USCEIO: Yousef Munayyer (until 2016)

USCPR: Ahmad Abuznaid

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

This page is for a previous version of the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), before it was rebranded in 2016.

The United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (USCEIO) was an activist initiative against the perceived military subjugation and political repression of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank of the Jordan River, and other disputed majority-Arab territories within and bordering the state of Israel. More than 400 organizations were involved in the campaign: these included both prominent national-level left-wing advocacy organizations and political committees as well as local activist groups and religious centers. In addition to agitating against the policies of the Israeli government, the coalition called for an end to American military aid and diplomatic support to Israel. It also endorsed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate Israel through both private-sector disengagement from Israeli industries and legal restrictions on investing in Israel’s economy. 1 2

In October 2016, the USCEIO rebranded itself as the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR). At the time, the organization’s executive director Yousef Munayyer stated that the campaign had “always stood for Palestinian rights” and that the new name would highlight Palestinian identity, which he claimed “is often […] the calculated target of Israeli policy.” 3 The USCEIO had only been partially active for some time prior to the rebrand, having last solicited applicants for its internship program in the fall of 2013 and published the last update on its blog in November 2014. 4 5

Since the rebrand, the USCPR has launched several campaigns, including efforts to block legislation perceived to censor or punish criticism of Israel on college campuses or by private businesses with government contracts. The USCPR has also expanded into other left-wing causes, including celebrating the work of extremists such as Black Panther movement associate and Communist Party USA member Angela Davis. 6

Members and Associates

The more than 400 activist groups, political committees, religious institutions, and other members of the United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation coalition included a number of influential and controversial left-wing organizations. 7

More than two dozen college campus chapters of the far-left National Students for Justice in Palestine, a leading proponent of the BDS movement which has received criticism from other left-wing groups such as the Anti-Defamation League for alleged antisemitic messaging, are USCEIO members. 8 9 The Los Angeles, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has praised Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and has seen several of its own members arrested on terrorism-related charges, are USCEIO members. 10 11

More than a dozen local chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace, which criticizes the state of Israel, backs the Palestinian cause, supports the BDS movement and the Women’s March, and has endorsed radical-left members of Congress Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), are USCEIO members. 12 13 The international committee of the National Lawyers Guild, a legal activist group which specializes in defending protesters and rioters associated with the Black Lives Matter and Antifa movements, and which previously had ties to Weather Underground extremists, is a USCEIO member. 14 15

Several regional chapters of the American Friends Service Committee, a policy advocacy group affiliated with the Quaker religious denomination which is a leading proponent of the BDS movement, as well as a supporter of dismantling law enforcement and border security, are USCEIO members. 16 17

The coalition also included numerous mainline Protestant congregations and leadership bodies, as well as many local, national, and international Jewish organizations. 18

Activities and Controversies

In February 2009, the United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation launched an advertising campaign criticizing the Israeli armed forces for perceived violent acts against Palestinian civilians and demanding that the Obama administration end military aid to Israel. When the satellite television provider DirecTV pulled the ad—despite allegedly agreeing at first, according to a USCEIO statement—the coalition claimed that “DirecTV is blatantly censoring important information” and called on its supporters to email complaints to the provider. 19

In May 2011, the USCEIO participated in a “Move Over AIPAC” conference in Washington, D.C. intended to counter the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro-Israel advocacy group in the United States. Other participating organizations included the left-wing anti-war group Code Pink and the environmentalist, anti-capitalist Global Exchange, both projects of long-time feminist and pro-Palestine activist Medea Benjamin. 20

In September 2016, controversy arose within the coalition: USCEIO steering committee member Mike Merryman-Lotze, an organizer with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)—itself a part of the coalition—had directed the USCEIO to cut ties with the controversial organization critical of Israel organization If Americans Knew (IAK). This prompted a critical response from IAK executive director Alison Weir, who has also worked with the AFSC. 21

That month, the USCEIO also hosted a pro-BDS event in Washington, D.C. The coalition had initially received permission from the office of Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) but was forced to relocate after then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) demanded to have the event canceled. Lee later claimed that she had been unaware of the event and that a staffer in her office had approved it due to miscommunication. 22

Leadership

Yousef Munayyer was the executive director of the United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and oversaw the organization’s rebrand to the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR). In the past he had taught a course at George Mason University. Munayyer received a doctorate in government and politics from the University of Maryland. 23

Munayyer has equated right-of-center criticism of billionaire financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, with antisemitism. At the same time, he has opposed definitions of antisemitism which he and other pro-Palestinian activists claim are designed to delegitimize criticism of the Israeli state. In addition, Munayyer has used incidents of anti-Christian hate crimes by Jews in Israel as talking points, while also attacking Americans wanting to maintain the Christian character of the United States, equating them with white nationalists and antisemites. 24

Sandra Tamari was the previous director of the campaign. 25 She is of Palestinian heritage, but identifies as a Quaker and was affiliated with the American Friends Service Committee together with USCEIO steering committee member Mike Merryman-Lotze. Tamari has argued that killings of Israelis by Palestinians are not equivalent to killings of Palestinians by Israelis because of what she called the “power differential” created by Israel’s military advantage and American diplomatic backing. She has also endorsed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. 26 27

Josh Ruebner was the policy director of the USCEIO, later the USCPR. He was involved with the original organization and its successor between 2003 and 2019. 28 29 Ruebner was a critic of the Obama administration and its stance on the Palestine issue, claiming that President Barack Obama “capitulated […] to pressures from the Israeli lobby.” He also endorsed the BDS movement: in an April 2014 interview with a pro-Palestinian publication, he said he was “hugely optimistic” about BDS, which he defended as a “Palestinian civil society led campaign.” 30

Funding

The United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, now the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), is legally registered under the name “Education for Just Peace in the Middle East.” In 2016, the organization received approximately $928,000 in contributions and grants. Since its transition, revenue has increased, reaching nearly $1.15 million in 2020. 31

References

  1. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211031111239/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/
  2. “Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  3. [1]“US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation Becomes US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. October 17, 2016. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://uscpr.org/us-campaign-to-end-the-israeli-occupation-becomes-us-campaign-for-palestinian-rights-media-contact/
  4. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211031111239/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/
  5. “Blog.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211027031705/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/blog_subdomain/index.html
  6. “Historic Campaigns.” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://uscpr.org/historic-campaigns/
  7. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  8. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html

  9. Andrew Harrod. “Progressivism’s New Hate on Campus.” Capital Research Center. January 11, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/bds/
  10. “Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  11. Andrew Harrod. “Keeping Up with CAIR’s Islamic Radicalism.” Capital Research Center. October 18, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/keeping-up-with-cair/
  12. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  13. “Censorious Jewish Voice for Peace Shows Its True Colors at NYU.” Capital Research Center. November 7, 2018. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/censorious-jewish-voice-for-peace-shows-its-true-colors-at-nyu/
  14. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  15. “National Lawyers Guild: Activities and Positions.” Capital Research Center. July 19, 2022. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/national-lawyers-guild-part-5/
  16. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  17. Andrew Harrod. “Progressivism’s New Hate on Campus.” Capital Research Center. January 11, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/bds/
  18. [1]“Member Organizations.” US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028170951/http://www.endtheoccupation.org/groups.html
  19. Ron Kampeas. “Anti-occupation group blasts DIRECTV.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 5, 2009. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://www.jta.org/2009/02/05/united-states/anti-occupation-group-blasts-directv
  20. [1]“Move Over AIPAC.” Global Exchange. April 29, 2011. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://globalexchange.org/2011/04/29/move-over-aipac/
  21. “Alison Weir’s Response to Mike Merryman-Lotze.” American Friends Service Committee. September 7, 2016. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://afsc.org/news/alison-weirs-response-mike-merryman-lotze
  22. Adam Kredo. “After Boot From Congress, Israel Boycotters Move Discredited Event to Church.” The Washington Free Beacon. September 15, 2016. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://freebeacon.com/issues/boot-congress-israel-boycotters-move-discredited-event-church/
  23. [1]“Yousef Munayyer.” George Mason University Global Affairs. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://globalaffairs.gmu.edu/people/ymunayye
  24. Yousef Munayyer. Twitter. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://twitter.com/YousefMunayyer
  25. “Education For Just Peace In The Middle East.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/421636592
  26. [1]Sandra Tamari. “Dismantling oppression: A cry for justice.” American Friends Service Commitee. July 8, 2014. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://afsc.org/news/dismantling-oppression-cry-justice
  27. “Alison Weir’s Response to Mike Merryman-Lotze.” American Friends Service Committee. September 7, 2016. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://afsc.org/news/alison-weirs-response-mike-merryman-lotze
  28. [1]“US Campaign for Palestinian Rights – Page 1.” Josh Ruebner. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://joshruebner.com/category/us-campaign-for-palestinian-rights/
  29. “US Campaign for Palestinian Rights – Page 31.” Josh Ruebner. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://joshruebner.com/category/us-campaign-for-palestinian-rights/page/31/
  30. Frank Barat, Josh Ruebner. “‘Obama Capitulated Very Early to Pressures from the Israeli lobby.’” Palestine Chronicle. April 29, 2014. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/obama-capitulated-very-early-to-pressures-from-the-israeli-lobby-interview-with-josh-ruebner/
  31. “Education For Just Peace In The Middle East.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/421636592
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United States Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (USCEIO)

PO Box 3609
Washington, DC