Daniel Biss’ Palestine Exception

Photo: The Aspen Institute/Flickr 

September 13, 2017: Palestine Legal issued the following statement regarding the removal of Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial ticket.

Last week Illinois State Senator Daniel Biss removed Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate in the Illinois gubernatorial race due to Ramirez-Rosa’s refusal to oppose boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns for Palestinian rights. Biss’ decision to remove Ramirez-Rosa from the gubernatorial ticket is a clear example of the “Palestine Exception.” Even among politicians who identify as progressive, support for Palestinian rights remains taboo.

In recent years, grassroots support for Palestinian rights has increased dramatically in the U.S., as demonstrated by the widespread outrage over the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, an AIPAC-backed bill pending in Congress with broad, bipartisan support. Despite shifting public opinion toward support for Palestinian freedom, the political establishment continues to demand unconditional support for Israel. Ramirez-Rosa’s position may have cost him a spot on Biss’ gubernatorial ticket, but his refusal to denounce a movement for freedom, justice and equality aligns with his progressive grassroots politics, and will show him to be on the right side of history.