IOWA, Monday, May 13, 2019 (WAFA) - In the US state of Iowa, Palestinian and Arab Americans are actively working to create an effective Palestinian Arab Public Affairs Committee (PAC) within the Democratic Party to influence its policies and to push it to take greater and broader interest in Middle East issues, specifically the Palestinian issue, and draw American attention to developments in the region.

The president of Americans and Palestinians for Peace (AMPAL), John Dabeet, said that the decision to create a PAC came after activists from the Palestinian community in Iowa held several meetings with members of Congress from the Democratic Party to get them to highlight Palestinian and Arab issues in Congress during election period by supporting their candidacy and voting for them.

Dabeet told WAFA in an interview that what encouraged this was when Palestinian and Arab activists in the state of Iowa were able to get the Democratic Party to add specific items on Palestine in its platform, including the Palestinian right of return, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, full membership in the United Nations, ensuring freedom of people in the state to boycott Israel and divest from it after several US laws were recently issued to punish supporters of the boycott, and opposing Israeli settlements and the apartheid wall.

He said the Palestinian community is currently preparing a draft constitution for the Arab Palestinian PAC to join the Democratic Party in Iowa in order to present it to the party conference next year for approval.

Dabeet stressed that the success of the Arab and Palestinian activists in Iowa in adding special items within the policies of the Democratic Party in that state should encourage other states where the Arab and Palestinian communities have good relations with members of the Democratic Party to do the same.

M.K.