The Palestinian American Council (PAC) is an anti-Israel activist group that took part in a series of “Global Escalation” protests which occurred in November 2024 around the Thanksgiving holiday at which protesters were asked to reject “capitalist ‘holidays” and to “disrupt any and all entities that allow or enable genocide.” ¹

Background

The Palestinian American Council (PAC) is an anti-Israel group that was created in 2000 as a “reliable and professional source” that claimed to provide “accurate and timely information” about the “Palestinian reality.”  ²

PAC claims it advocates for fostering ties between Palestinians and their “motherland” while further alleging it is “the American thing to do” to adopt Palestinian “rights and aspirations of justice and peace” as part of an American identity. ²

In addition, the group claims to provide aid and development assistance to Palestinians and advocates for support from the American public and government bodies. ²

Positions

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack against the State of Israel and the resulting Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Palestinian American Council (PAC) released a statement declaring the war in Gaza to have resulted from “Israeli aggression.” ^{3 4 5}

PAC refers to Israel’s Independence in 1948 as “the nakba,” or “the catastrophe,” as is common among Palestinian nationalists. ⁶

The website claims to list four news sources as reliable in its reporting: these include the Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society’s anti-Israel Electronic Intifada, the Palestinian International Press Center, the Palestine Media Center, and a local Palestinian satellite television Channel. ⁷

PAC’s website also listed several “sites of interest” which included Al-Awda, B’Tselem, Institute for Palestine Studies, International Solidarity Movement, and Middle East Children’s Alliance.” ³

Initiatives

In November 2024, Chicago’s local chapter of the Palestinian American Council (PAC) took part in “Global Escalation” protests that were set to occur in major U.S cities and around the world to oppose “capitalist holidays” as well as “disrupt any and all entities that allow or enable genocide.” ¹

PAC was a sponsor of a November 4, 2023 anti-Israel rally in Washington, D.C. The rally was also sponsored by the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition (Al-Awda) , and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). ⁸

In March 2024, PAC was part of a coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations that had signed a letter addressed to White House officials following the coalition’s refusal to meet with President Joe Biden during an earlier visit to Chicago. The letter accused the Biden administration of refusing to “stop enabling the Israeli government’s ongoing attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza” while alleging “a genocide…has flattened Gaza.” ⁹ Other groups that signed include American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Chicago, CAIR-Chicago, Muslims for Just Futures, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action. ⁹

Leadership

As of Decemebr 2024, the Palestinian American Council’s website did list any members of the PAC leadership; however, a 2021 Council on American-Islamic Relations press release referred to Kamal Khalil as president of PAC. ¹⁰

1. Costescu, Jessica. “Anti-Israel Groups Plan Coordinated Protests in “Global Escalation” over Thanksgiving Holiday.” Washington Free Beacon, 27 Nov. 2024, freebeacon.com/israel/anti-israel-groups-plan-coordinated-protests-in-global-escalation-over-thanksgiving-holiday/.
2. “Palestinian American Council.” Pac-Usa.org, 2024, www.pac-usa.org/aboutus.htm.
3. “Palestinian American Council.” Pac-Usa.org, 2023, www.pac-usa.org/index.htm.
4. Daily Report on the Effects of Israeli Aggression in Palestine. State of Palestine Ministry of Health Minister’s Office, 10 Nov. 2023, www.pac-usa.org/documents/1110e.pdf.
5. “5 Things to Know about the Hamas-Run Gaza Health Ministry.” FDD, 2 Nov. 2023, www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/11/02/5-things-to-know-about-the-hamas-run-gaza-health-ministry/.
6. Press Release. Palestinian American Council, 15 May 2017, www.pac-usa.org/documents/pac-051517.pdf.
7. “Links.” Palestinian American Council. Accessed December 31, 2024. https://www.pac-usa.org/links.htm.
8. Helmore, Edward. “Up to 30,000 Protesters Expected for Pro-Palestinian Rally in DC on Saturday.” The Guardian, 4 Nov. 2023, www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/04/up-to-30000-protesters-expected-for-pro-palestinian-rally-in-dc-on-saturday.
9. “Chicago Muslim, Palestinian Groups Refuse White House Meeting over Lack of Policy Change on Gaza Genocide.” Council on American Islamic Relations, 14 Mar. 2024, www.cair.com/press_releases/chicago-muslim-palestinian-groups-refuse-white-house-meeting-over-lack-on-policy-change-on-gaza-genocide/www.cair.com/press_releases/chicago-muslim-palestinian-groups-refuse-white-house-meeting-over-lack-on-policy-change-on-gaza-genocide/.
10. CAIR-Houston to Join Protest of Rep. Troy Nehls’ Support for Israel’s Killing of Palestinian Civilians, Ethnic Cleansing and Apartheid. Council on American Islamic Relations, 11 June 2021, www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-houston-to-join-protest-of-rep-troy-nehls-support-for-israels-killing-of-palestinian-civilians-ethnic-cleansing-and-apartheid/.