Asserting that “the peace and security of the United States are tied to the peace and security of both Israel and the Palestinians,” Americans for a Palestinian State (APS) lobbies congressional representatives to “find a fair solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.” According to APS, the cause of that conflict is “the occupation, settlements and crimes against humanity committed by Israel on the Palestinians” – crimes that, as a result of U.S. financial assistance to Israel, are “aided and abetted by … the American taxpayer.”

To address this situation, APS exhorts American lawmakers to cut off U.S. funds that normally would have been earmarked for Israel’s military, and to “redirect” that money entirely toward such objectives as restoring Israel’s 1967 borders, creating “a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza,” and “return[ing] … the Golan Heights to Syria.”APS contends that America’s mainstream media have perpetuated a number of “myths regarding the actions of the state of Israel,” thereby allowing its “horrific abuses” to go “unchallenged.” This ultimately leads, says APS, “to the untold suffering of the Palestinian people and the immeasurable rage of the Arab world – often directed at America.” Most notably, APS identifies the following four “myths” about Israel, and counters each with a corresponding “fact”:

Myth: “Israel has fought only defensive wars since its founding.”
Fact: “Israel started three out of the four major wars with its Arab neighbors.”

Myth: “Palestine was unpopulated before Israel took control of the land.”
Fact: “Palestine was intensely populated for millennia before Israel was founded.”

Myth: “Israel helps us [the United States] with weapons development.”
Fact: “Israel sells secret U.S. military technology to rogue nations.”

Myth: “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Fact: “Israel is not a true democracy; its Muslim and Christian citizens do not have equal rights or protections.”

Soliciting financial contributions on behalf of congressional representatives who are “willing to speak out” against Israel, APS in 2011 announced that its “immediate goal is to raise $10,000 for the reelection campaign of Barbara Lee in the 9th Congressional District” of California. In 2009-2010, APS founder Gerald Merrill himself made a donation to Lee’s campaign; he also made five donations to MoveOn.org.

To disseminate its anti-Israel message, APS promotes and sells pamphlets bearing such titles as The Cost of Israel to U.S. Taxpayers; Let Us Rethink Our “Special Relationship” with Israel; Torture in Israel; Do Palestinians Teach their Children to Hate?; and Rachel’s Letters, a tribute to the late International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie, published by If Americans Knew.

APS is a supporter of the Free Gaza Movement.