Written by Mohammad Mustafa

The political landscape in the United States continues to disillusion and betray those who seek justice for Palestine. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have firmly entrenched themselves as complicit actors in the genocide against Palestinians. The rhetoric of "support for Israel" is not simply an issue of foreign policy—it is the endorsement of ethnic cleansing, systematic displacement, and war crimes. Kamala Harris, like so many in power, masks her complicity behind a veneer of progressivism. Her identity as a woman of color is weaponized to distract from her policies, which directly fund and legitimize the Zionist regime's brutal colonization of Palestine.

For decades, the U.S. government has provided unwavering support to Israel, supplying weapons, military funding, and political cover for the violence inflicted upon Gaza and the rest of Palestine. The continuous bombing of Gaza, the blockade that strangles its people, and the systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians are not aberrations—they are features of a settler-colonial project that both Democrats and Republicans have upheld. Palestinian scholars like Rashid Khalidi remind us that U.S. support for Israel is not about diplomacy or national interest but about maintaining a colonial outpost in the Middle East.

Voting for candidates who uphold this violent status quo only perpetuates these crimes. Both major political parties in the U.S. are committed to sustaining Israel’s colonial enterprise, and by doing so, they ensure the continuation of apartheid, land theft, and the erasure of Palestinian life. Scholar Joseph Massad explains that normalization of Zionist settler colonialism in Western politics is an integral part of maintaining global systems of white supremacy. The refusal to challenge Zionism’s genocidal campaign is the ultimate betrayal of human rights.

Young voters, especially those from marginalized communities, have begun to see through the facade. They realize that representation without accountability is meaningless, and identity politics without justice is nothing more than a tool of oppression. Zionist forces have continued the project of ethnic cleansing begun in 1948, and every U.S election cycle is a recommitment to these crimes.

Kamala Harris’s rebranding as a progressive leader will not erase her record. We do not need another face for imperialism. As Palestinians, as Muslims, as people of conscience, we call for an end to the U.S. funding of Israel's military and the complete dismantling of the Zionist regime. The liberation of Palestine is not a distant dream; it is a demand that we make every day, in every decision, in every election. Our refusal to vote for genocide is not just about politics—it is about aligning our values with justice and truth. Let us remember the words of Edward Said, who urged us to think beyond borders and beyond the rhetoric of oppression. We cannot support any leader who stands idly by or contributes to the slaughter of our people.