FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024

Press@mandel4congress.org

Sacramento Congressional Candidate David Mandel Criticizes Area Congressional Members, Biden Admin for Failure to ‘Confront Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza’

SACRAMENTO, CA – Congressional (CD7) candidate David Mandel late Friday criticized Sacramento area incumbent members of Congress for failing to “confront the humanitarian crisis in Gaza” and the Biden Administration actions a “mark of shame.” 

Mandel, a human rights lawyer and former Sacramento Bee copy editor running to replace Rep. Doris Matsui, declared, “I continue to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.” 

Mandel’s full comments: 

“The recent decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the genocide in Gaza, while a significant step in the right direction, fails at the crucial step of calling for an immediate cessation of military action against the Palestinian people. 

“The decision contains major judicial wins, including the establishment of jurisdiction over the case, the ordering of an immediate end to any genocidal acts by the military and genocidal rhetoric by government officials, and the recognition of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

“However, while an order to de-escalate and stop the killing may be inferred from the decision, the lack of an explicit call for a ceasefire leaves Palestinians in an uncertain and untenable position. The decision’s ambiguity on the cessation of military operations in Gaza allows Israel to continue its violence for at least the next month, when the first ‘progress report’ is due. 

“How many Palestinians will lose their lives in that time? Furthermore, it is apparent from the conduct of government officials that Israel does not plan to abide by the ICJ’s ruling, no matter how lenient. 

“Though the decision has significant shortcomings, where it does succeed is in providing a stark reminder of the Biden administration's failure to take a principled stand against the atrocities in Gaza, instead taking every possible opportunity to provide funds and weapons to further Israel’s campaign of destruction. 

“Despite mounting evidence and international condemnation, the Biden administration continued to provide material support to Israel’s actions in Gaza, which now, according to the ICJ, may legally constitute genocide and absolutely constitute a humanitarian crisis. 

“The ICJ’s decision on the case now serves as an uncomfortable spotlight on their stance, placing them on the wrong side of history. It is imperative that our elected representatives reassess their positions, aligning themselves with justice and human rights rather than with the lobbyists who line their pockets and fill their campaign coffers. 

"The ICJ's ruling serves as a mark of shame on the Biden administration, one that will follow Biden to November and beyond. 

“Congress, too, has failed to confront the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the bipartisan commitment to serving the interests of the pro-Israel lobby has impeded progress toward even the most basic recognition of the plight of the Palestinian people. 

“This was especially clear in the embarrassing letter signed by 210 members of Congress (including Sacramento’s own Rep. Ami Bera and Rep. Doris Matsui), calling South Africa’s case against Israel ‘grossly unfounded,’ ‘meritless’ and ‘deeply hostile,’ expressing ‘disgust’ at the accusations altogether. 

“I call on the Biden administration and Congress to acknowledge the gravity of the ICJ's ruling and take immediate, meaningful action to urge Israel to comply with the findings. Biden must ensure that the United States does not use its veto to block the enforcement of the ruling when it comes before the Security Council, and put the full force of its political influence to work ensuring Israel complies with international law. 

"In the meantime, I continue to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.” 

Mandel said he’s running for public office “because our longtime incumbent, along with most of Congress, is out of step with voters in the district and around the country.”  Mandel added, “Amid vicious attacks on basic democracy, widespread economic hardship and horrific wars around the globe making the climate crisis even worse, this is no time to stand in the middle of the road. “Not too bad” is not nearly good enough. 

“But in truth, ‘normal’ for decades has meant steady social polarization over politically manipulated ‘culture wars’; immense growth in wealth for the few while most fall behind and nearly half the country lives in or near poverty with millions un/or inadequately housed, while hedge funds rake in profits; a criminally inadequate corporate healthcare system; still rampant and too often violent racism, sexism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia; a racist criminal justice system; rampant political corruption; environmental and climate disaster. 

“I am not a career politician, but for decades I’ve been an advocate for honesty, peace and social justice, as a partner and father, in my work as a journalist and an attorney for the disadvantaged and oppressed, and as a dedicated volunteer with numerous organizations carrying on the fight for a better world,” Mandel said.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Press@mandel4congress.org

Sacramento Congressional Candidate David Mandel Criticizes Response of Reps Matsui and Bera as ‘Too Little, Too Late’ to Help Gaza Palestinians

SACRAMENTO, CA – Congressional (CD7) candidate David Mandel Tuesday strongly criticized a letter signed by Reps. Doris Matsui (CA-7) and Ami Bera (CA-6) concerning Palestinians from the Gaza Strip as “too little, too late” to help the Palestinians.

“If Matsui and Bera are truly concerned about the well-being of Palestinians and their future on the land, they must push for a full and permanent cease-fire immediately and oppose any continued aid to Israel until Gaza is rebuilt and the occupation and apartheid are ended. For those of us who are serious about seeing hostages and prisoners freed and pursuing peace and safety for Palestinians and Israelis alike, this is the only way forward,” said Mandel.

Mandel, a human rights activist, former daily newspaper editor and attorney providing free legal services for seniors, added while he agreed with the content of the congressional letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging him to reiterate the U.S.’s firm opposition to any forcible removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, “it fails to challenge the Biden administration’s blank-check support of Israel’s attack on Gaza.”

Mandel charged, “Matsui and Bera have both refused to call for a cease-fire, despite nonstop urging from their constituents and ample opportunity to oppose Israel’s unmitigated killing, starvation and internal displacement of Palestinians. Put simply, it is textbook hypocrisy to cosign the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s out-of-control military campaign, only to urge the administration to oppose the forced displacement of those same Palestinians to other countries.

“To sign this letter now is too little, too late. I, like 80% of Democratic voters and two-thirds of all Americans, have been calling for an immediate cease-fire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza since October. Any other position is unconscionable and inhumane. Israel has openly rebuffed Biden’s half-hearted attempts to curtail its violence in Gaza, because so long as financial and military support keep flowing, such entreaties have no teeth.

“There is no reason to believe that this letter will move the Biden administration to do more than issue empty threats while allowing Israel to dispose of the people of Gaza as it pleases,” Mandel added.

Noting “Netanyahu has explicitly described plans for the expulsion of Palestinians across the southern border under the insulting euphemism of ‘voluntary migration’ – how can any migration be voluntary when most homes are destroyed and people are being pushed south under bombardment and gunfire,” Mandel said, “Israel’s goal of flattening Gaza and building on its ruins has long been clear, and yet, Matsui and Bera have unwaveringly voted to send money and weapons to aid the ethnic cleansing campaign.”

Mandel added, “Israel had destroyed 70 percent of all homes in Gaza, with the full-throated financial and diplomatic support of the United States. 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza – 80 percent of the population – have been internally displaced, concentrated in the southern part of the Strip against the Egyptian border, where promises of safety have been broken.

“Beyond internal displacement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners have expressed in no uncertain terms Israel’s desire to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, removing the people from the land, destroying hospitals, schools and historical landmarks and erasing them from history.”

Mandel said he’s running for public office “because our longtime incumbent, along with most of Congress, is out of step with voters in the district and around the country.”

Mandel added, “Amid vicious attacks on basic democracy, widespread economic hardship and horrific wars around the globe making the climate crisis even worse, this is no time to stand in the middle of the road. “Not too bad” is not nearly good enough. A different world – one based on the needs of people and the Earth, not corporate profits – is possible. We survived four years of an embarrassing, dangerous megalomaniac of a president, then many of us breathed a sigh of relief, thinking we could return to ‘normal.’

“But in truth, ‘normal’ for decades has meant steady social polarization over politically manipulated ‘culture wars’; immense growth in wealth for the few while most fall behind and nearly half the country lives in or near poverty with millions un/or inadequately housed, while hedge funds rake in profits; a criminally inadequate corporate healthcare system; still rampant and too often violent racism, sexism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia; a racist criminal justice system; rampant political corruption; environmental and climate disaster.

“I am not a career politician, but for decades I’ve been an advocate for honesty, peace and social justice, as a partner and father, in my work as a journalist and an attorney for the disadvantaged and oppressed, and as a dedicated volunteer with numerous organizations carrying on the fight for a better world,” Mandel said.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 15, 2024

Press@mandel4congress.org

Human and Civil Rights Lawyer David Mandel, Seeking to Unseat Rep. Doris Matsui, Marches on MLK Jr. Day, Remembers Decades of Protests, Multiple Arrests Seeking Justice and an End to Racism

SACRAMENTO, CA – Human and civil rights attorney David Mandel, opposing Rep. Doris Matsui in the California CD 7 primary in March, is joining MLK Jr. Day marchers Monday – as he has for decades – calling for “Justice in Action. For Peace, Human Rights and a Sustainable Tomorrow.”

Mandel explains he joined the “struggle for racial justice and equality as a teen through the mentorship of his rabbi, who marched with Dr. King in the South and helped welcome him when he came north to confront racism in the Chicago area.”

Mandel, who organized anti-war protests at his high school, has, more than 50 years later, joined the recent waves of Sacramento Black Lives Matter marches and other actions, as a participant and as a legal observer.

Living in Israel from 1974 to 1985, Mandel said, “I observed the varieties of apartheid imposed against non-white Jews and especially against Palestinian Arabs and joined the movement against oppressive occupation. I was proudly arrested five times for acts of nonviolent civil disobedience,”

The human rights attorney and former newspaper reporter and editor added, “The struggles for justice worldwide are interconnected. U.S. support for Israel’s genocidal acts against the people of Gaza violates not only international law but also essential human morality.”

“The nearly $1 trillion a year in military spending harms our ability to prioritize housing and healthcare as fundamental human rights, to adequately invest in education, and to devote the substantial funding required to combat climate change and protect the planet,” Mandel added.

Mandel said he’s running for public office “because our longtime incumbent, along with most of Congress, is out of step with voters in the district and around the country.

“Amid vicious attacks on basic democracy, widespread economic hardship and horrific wars around the globe making the climate crisis even worse, this is no time to stand in the middle of the road. ’Not too bad’ is not nearly good enough. A different world – one based on the needs of people and the Earth, not corporate profits – is possible.”

“We survived four years of an embarrassing, dangerous megalomaniac of a president, then many of us breathed a sigh of relief, thinking we could return to ‘normal,’” Mandel said.

“But in truth, ‘normal’ for decades has meant steady social polarization over politically manipulated ‘culture wars’; immense growth in wealth for the few while most fall behind and nearly half the country lives in or near poverty with millions un/or inadequately housed, while hedge funds rake in profits; a criminally inadequate corporate healthcare system; still rampant and too often violent racism, sexism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia; a racist criminal justice system; rampant political corruption; environmental and climate disaster,” the activist/candidate said.

“I am not a career politician, but for decades I’ve been an advocate for honesty, peace and social justice, as a partner and father, in my work as a journalist and an attorney for the disadvantaged and oppressed, and as a dedicated volunteer with numerous organizations carrying on the fight for a better world,” Mandel said.

Mandel, who worked in both Israel and the U.S. as a magazine and newspaper editor, including for 10 years at the Sacramento Bee, has written extensively for U.S. and European publications about Middle East politics.

Mandel led the free legal services program for Sacramento and California seniors for 17 years, helping clients fight evictions, foreclosures, discrimination, denials of health care and public benefits and much more.

Mandel has also worked on legal cases to defend faculty and students under fire for engaging in support for Palestinian rights on campus and an appellate case defending a business’s right to boycott; and he led the 2016 fight against a state anti-boycott bill, saving California from having to defend an unconstitutional statute.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 4, 2024

Press@mandel4congress.org

Former Newspaper Editor, Human Rights Lawyer David Mandel Announces Campaign to Unseat Rep. Doris Matsui in Sacramento Congressional 7th District

SACRAMENTO, CA – David Mandel – a human rights activist, former daily newspaper editor and attorney providing free legal services for seniors – has announced he is running in 2024 March Primary to unseat incumbent Doris Matsui in the California Congressional 7th District.

Mr. Mandel said he’s running for public office “because our longtime incumbent, along with most of Congress, is out of step with voters in the district and around the country.”

Mr. Mandel added, “Amid vicious attacks on basic democracy, widespread economic hardship and horrific wars around the globe making the climate crisis even worse, this is no time to stand in the middle of the road. “Not too bad” is not nearly good enough. A different world – one based on the needs of people and the Earth, not corporate profits – is possible.”

“We survived four years of an embarrassing, dangerous megalomaniac of a president, then many of us breathed a sigh of relief, thinking we could return to ‘normal,’” Mr. Mandel said.

“But in truth, ‘normal’ for decades has meant steady social polarization over politically manipulated ‘culture wars’; immense growth in wealth for the few while most fall behind and nearly half the country lives in or near poverty with millions un/or inadequately housed, while hedge funds rake in profits; a criminally inadequate corporate healthcare system; still rampant and too often violent racism, sexism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia; a racist criminal justice system; rampant political corruption; environmental and climate disaster.”

“The nearly $1 trillion a year in military spending harms our ability to prioritize housing and healthcare as fundamental human rights, to adequately invest in education, and to devote the substantial funding required to combat climate change and protect the planet,” Mandel added.

Mandel said he’s running for public office “because our longtime incumbent, along with most of Congress, is out of step with voters in the district and around the country.

“Amid vicious attacks on basic democracy, widespread economic hardship and horrific wars around the globe making the climate crisis even worse, this is no time to stand in the middle of the road. ’Not too bad’ is not nearly good enough. A different world – one based on the needs of people and the Earth, not corporate profits – is possible.”

“We survived four years of an embarrassing, dangerous megalomaniac of a president, then many of us breathed a sigh of relief, thinking we could return to ‘normal,’” Mandel said.

“But in truth, ‘normal’ for decades has meant steady social polarization over politically manipulated ‘culture wars’; immense growth in wealth for the few while most fall behind and nearly half the country lives in or near poverty with millions un/or inadequately housed, while hedge funds rake in profits; a criminally inadequate corporate healthcare system; still rampant and too often violent racism, sexism, misogyny, homo- and transphobia; a racist criminal justice system; rampant political corruption; environmental and climate disaster.”

“I am not a career politician, but for decades I’ve been an advocate for honesty, peace and social justice, as a partner and father, in my work as a journalist and an attorney for the disadvantaged and oppressed, and as a dedicated volunteer with numerous organizations carrying on the fight for a better world,” Mandel said.

Born in Chicago and a Sacramentan since 1985, Mr. Mandel has been “involved for more than five decades as a participant and organizer in struggles for justice and peace in the United States and in Palestine-Israel, including from 1974 to 1985 in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.”

Mr. Mandel, who worked in both Israel and the U.S. as a magazine and newspaper editor, including for 10 years at the Sacramento Bee, has written extensively for U.S. and European publications about Middle East politics.

Mr. Mandel said he has worked on legal cases to “defend faculty and students under fire for engaging in support for Palestinian rights on campus, an appellate case defending a business’s right to boycott and led the 2016 fight against a state anti-boycott bill, saving California from having to defend an unconstitutional statute.

An elected member of the state and county Democratic Party central committees, Mr. Mandel has led efforts to pass resolutions, legislative stances and platform planks on worker rights, single-payer healthcare, greatly expanded affordable housing, stopping climate change, ending racism, patriarchy and predatory capitalism and getting dirty money out of politics and supporting Palestinian human rights.

Mr. Mandel is also active nationally and locally with Jewish Voice for Peace as well as the National Lawyers Guild International Committee, Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento, the Progressive Caucus of the state Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America.

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