Thousands attend Detroit People Conference of Palestine, prompting Zionist hysteria

Thousands poured into the city of Detroit, in Michigan, including high-profile figures such as Rashida Tlaib, to attend the second annual People’s Conference for Palestine amid the Israeli genocide in Gaza, triggering hysteria among pro-Israel media outlets, some of which termed it a 'pro-terror' platform.

This comes as growing segments of the US public have turned against Israel as it pursues a relentless campaign of extermination against Palestinians.

Coordinated by a coalition of organisations led by the Palestinian Youth Movement, the conference convened at the end of August to address the need for sustaining the movement against Israeli colonialism, a look at the conditions in Palestine and reflecting on the work that has been done so far and what has yet to be accomplished.  

Speakers and panellists included activis Mahmoud Khalil, Detroit’s representative in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, Imam Omar Suleiman, and many others.

People gathered in the main hall, named after martyred journalist Anas Al Sharif, to listen to the speakers and panellists, but also to attend displays of Palestinian art and culture by the Palestinian Youth Ensemble, the Al-Funoon Palestinian Dance Troupe and more. 

Panels covered a wide array of topics, with one, featuring the members and founders of Doctors Against Genocide such as Dr. Nidal Jaboor, Dr. Karameh Hawash-Kuemmerle and Dr. Jill Stein, spoke on the conditions of medicine in Gaza, what they saw while serving on medical missions there, and the increased cruelty on the part of the Israelis, as well as the decline in the admission rates of foreign doctors on medical missions into Gaza by the Israelis.

Speaking to what they experienced in Gaza, Dr. Thaer Ahmed talked about the 15,000 people in the strip who need urgent medical evacuations for medical care, as well as the 700 people who, until now, have died waiting for medical evacuations.

The panellists criticised the recent decision taken by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio to halt visas to the US for Gazan children seeking medical treatment, and also uplifted the efforts of the Lifeline for Palestine campaign.

Another panel was on the role institutions in the United States and Israel play when it comes to setting the stage up, and manufacturing consent for the ongoing genocide. Writer Sarah from Writers Against the War On Gaza (WAWOG), Miko Peled, journalist Nora Barrows Friedman, and author Ashraf Hazayen analysed and laid out how the educational system, the media apparatus and the Israeli lobby have shaped the public terrain in favour of Zionism, which enables the genocide.

Sarah spoke on the way the Western media, led by the New York Times, likes to cast doubt and sow confusion when it comes to Israeli atrocities in Gaza in order to give cover for more war crimes to follow suit. As part of their demands directed at the New York Times, WAWOG demands the retraction of the infamous December 2023 article titled “Screams Without Words” which they categorise as “the most dangerous piece of propaganda since [that of Judith Miller during] the Iraq War”. 

AIPAC came under scrutiny for ensuring that American politicians who take their donations enact a violent foreign policy against the Palestinians, and at the same time, the audience was reminded that it is not omnipotent.

This set the stage for the launch of a campaign endorsed by Rashida Tlaib to get the Israeli lobby AIPAC out of US politics. Just like last year’s conference saw the launch of the Mask off Maersk campaign, this year saw the announcement of AIPAC out of US politics campaign, which as the name suggests, seeks to reject the influence of the lobbying group within American politics.  

“Presidents and members of Congress from both parties can make millions of dollars right here in our country, investing in the slaughter and starvation of Palestinians, and we wonder why they are not listening to the overwhelming number of Americans who are demanding an arms embargo,” said the Congresswoman, speaking to a full ballroom.

She urged Americans to sign the petition against AIPAC and to keep demanding that their representatives harden their positions against Israel, while urging her own fellow members of Congress to start listening to the demands of their constituents who want an end to the genocide; to meet with them instead of meeting with the Israeli lobby.  

She ended her speech with a call reflecting not only her solidarity, but also internationalism. Repeating the tagline of the conference, she said “Gaza is the compass in this country, and the masses around the world are with us.”