00:00And as public opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel reaches historic highs,
00:06grassroots movements across the United States are taking the fight for Palestinian liberation directly to local ballot boxes.
00:12Dan Arbright has more details.
00:14A majority of U.S. citizens and three out of four Democrats now oppose military aid to Israel.
00:21And Palestine is showing up across the midterms from major campaigns to local ballot initiatives.
00:27I came to Providence, Rhode Island, where organizers collected roughly 10,000 signatures to put question seven on the ballot.
00:36We're not investing money. We're changing where we're investing.
00:40If it passes, the city would divest public money from investments tied to severe human rights violations.
00:47I do not believe that we should be investing in any country that is actively engaging in apartheid, illegal military
00:55occupation or genocide.
00:57Morales, a Democratic Socialist, now the overwhelming favorite Tuesday, has centered affordability rents in schools, drawing comparisons to Zoran Mamdani.
01:08At the doors, canvassers connect those local issues to divestment.
01:23Opponents, including outgoing Mayor Brett Smiley, have deployed allegations of anti-Semitism against the measure.
01:29Judaism is a big part of my life, but I don't associate that with Israel at all, especially with Israel
01:34committing genocide.
01:35Right now we have a massive disconnect between the general public that's turning fast against Israel and a class of
01:42elected officials that are still disproportionately trying to hang on to a pro-Israel position.
01:48But that's a massive contradiction, one that we're seeing play out in primaries all over the country.
01:53Michigan primary loser Haley Stevens took the extraordinary step of endorsing against candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the general, largely
02:03over disagreements on Israel, breaking party unity in a race crucial to Senate control.
02:09And at least 20 U.S. cities have taken divestment-related action from Sacramento to Cambridge and even small East
02:17Hampton, Massachusetts.
02:18Days ago, AIPAC said it will end direct endorsements and contributions after this election, a significant sign of the times.
02:28What are the values that we are actively displaying?
02:30And for us, the values are making sure working people can stay in their homes.
02:34Our values are ensuring that innocent people overseas are not being killed because of mindless spending coming in from our
02:43federal government that's aiding in the genocide.
02:46Providence will now test whether years of protest can become binding policy and whether victories like this can travel further.
02:54From Providence, Dan Albright, Telesor.
