Opinion: Palestinians deserve the same security, equality and right to a homeland as the Israelis

Editor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Thankfully, Sen. Bernie Sanders changed that during the 2016 presidential campaign when he declared, “We are going to have to treat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity.” Sanders, while defending Israel’s right to exist, called for the United States to stop being “one-sided” in the conflict. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez noted that while President Biden stated Israel has a right to defend itself, she asked, “But do Palestinians have a right to survive?” adding, “If so, we have a responsibility to that.” Pressley made an impassioned speech, first linking the Black Lives Matter movement to Palestinian human rights, then declaring, “We cannot stand idly and complicitly by and allow the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people to continue.” Others joined in these speeches, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a fellow Palestinian American, who summed it up well: “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.” She is correct. Not forgetting about the Palestinians is more than pushing for peace – it’s the United States taking a stand for Palestinian human rights. For example, there’s not just the threatened evictions of Palestinians from their homes and the “sweeping, decades-long restrictions on the freedom of movement and basic civil rights” for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza detailed by Human Rights Watch, but also the alarming rise of Israeli extremists who have taken to the streets to menacingly chant, “Death to Arabs.” Get our free weekly newsletter Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.