**Correction** A previous version of this article stated that Congressman Cleaver characterized the Palestinian struggle as illegitimate and as a ‘nation want to be,’. To be clear, while he did and does continue to falsely describe the Palestinian struggle and resistance attacks as “unprompted” and “senseless,” he has not explicitly described Palestine as “a want to be” nation.
As the imminent genocide in Gaza claims increasingly devastating numbers—with 3,000 Palestinian children already massacred, 1.5 million Palestinians ethnically cleansed from their homes, 7,000 Palestinians martyred (over 50% children, women and elderly, with more children now having been killed in Gaza in the last three weeks than the total killed in conflicts around the world in every year since 2019), 12 hospitals and 32 medical centers rendered non-functional due to incessant bombing and fuel shortages, and a complete depletion of food, water, internet and power— Kansas Citians are unifying their voices in a collective call to action.
Students from 100 campuses across North America will be walking out of classes today in a national movement, but more locally, students from universities across Missouri are urging Representative Emanuel Cleaver, previously known for decades of civil rights advocacy, to change his position and cast a vote for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to the unparalleled extermination of Palestinians.
Rep. Cleaver’s Position on the Genocide of Palestinians So Far
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s stance thus far has been far from neutral. The Congressman has implied a lack of legitimacy to the Palestinian struggle for liberation. He has gone on record stating, “America stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our Israeli allies.”
Israeli Leaders Openly Call for Genocide: What ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ Means
When Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says America stands “shoulder to shoulder with our Israeli allies,” it’s critical to understand what that allegiance supports. Israeli leaders have made explicit calls for genocide, underscoring their intentions with alarming clarity:
- “We are dropping hundreds of tons of bombs on Gaza. The focus is on destruction, not accuracy,” said Daniel Hagari, Israeli Army Spokesman on October 10th, 2023.
- “We will turn Gaza into an island of ruins,” declared Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister on October 8th.
- “It is an entire nation who are responsible. This rhetoric about civilians supposedly not being involved is absolutely untrue… and we will fight until we break their backs,” stated Yitzhak Herzog, President of Israel.
- “Wipe out their families, their mothers, and their children. These animals must not be allowed to live any longer,” urged Ezra Yachin, Veteran of the Israeli Army in an address to Israeli Reservists.
- “Animal humans will be treated accordingly, you wanted hell and you’ll get hell,” proclaimed Ghassan Alian, Major General of Israeli Army, on October 9th.
Given these blatantly fascist, genocidal statements from the highest ranking officials of the Israeli regime, standing “shoulder to shoulder” with the Israeli Occupying Forces is tantamount to endorsing genocide.
Even the United Nations Chief is Calling for a Ceasefire
United Nations chief himself, Antonio Guterres demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and said that international law is being violated.
“It is important to also recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” Guterres said.
“protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continuing to bomb the south itself.”
Mass, National Student Walkout w/ Demands for a Ceasefire
Students from 100 campuses across North America will be walking out of classes and disrupting business as usual tomorrow today. Their demands are as follows;
1. We demand an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza, which begins with ending Israel’s genocidal bombardment on Gaza through an immediate ceasefire and continues through lifting Israel’s land, air, and sea blockade on Gaza.
2) We demand an end to U.S. military funding to Israel.
3) We demand our universities fully divest from weapons corporations which arm Israel’s occupation and genocide in Gaza.
The Defining Moment for Cleaver’s Legacy
Will Emanuel Cleaver heed the growing chorus of voices crying out for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza?
The calls are not isolated; they come from tens or hundreds of thousands of concerned individuals across the United States, from his own constituents in Kansas City, and even from UN Chief Antonio Guterres.
The question that now looms is this: Will Cleaver listen to these appeals for justice and human rights, or will he continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with a regime that chillingly refers to fellow humans as “animals” who must be exterminated?
It’s a pivotal moment—a chance for Cleaver to either align himself with the principles of justice he first built his career upon, or to be complicit in a genocide that history will never ignore or forget.
