Nellie Pou Embodies Democrats’ Betrayal of Palestine in District 9
South Paterson, or “Little Palestine,” sits at the heart of New Jersey’s 9th Congressional district. Paterson is home to the largest percentage of Palestinian-Americans in the country. Earlier this year, Palestinian leaders had maintained that former Rep. Bill Pascrell owed his seat in part to their organizing work during the 2012 primary, according to Salaheddin Mustafa. On May 15, 2022, Paterson officially renamed a part of Main Street “Palestine Way.” Alaa “Al” Abdelaziz, the first Palestinian-American city councilman, and council president Maritza Davila had sponsored the renaming resolution. Speaking on the new Palestine Way that same year, Rania Mustafa of the Palestinian American Community Center said, “The idea is that we are leading the way to a free Palestine, and that is our hope, dream and aspiration.”
And yet, this aspiration has fallen on the deaf ears of New Jersey’s political elite.
In the 9th Congressional district, Democrats and Republicans are both barreling toward a General election while propping up genocide-friendly candidates. With pro-Palestine voices silenced, the two parties appear to be ready to disenfranchise massive amounts of voters by November. Following the death of former Rep. Bill Pascrell, County Democrats installed state Senator Nellie Pou to replace him on November’s ballot.
No votes were cast to nominate her.
In June of this year, Bill Pascrell saw a primary challenge from Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, who said that Pascrell was betraying the Muslim communities of the 9th District. Khairullah lost the primary against the 14-term incumbent, but not before earning nearly a quarter of the vote. At least one protest was staged by anti-war and Palestinian solidarity groups outside Pascrell’s office in Paterson, NJ. The action condemned his support for war crimes in the Middle East, from Baghdad to Rafah.
Also during the Democratic primaries, Passaic County Democrats joined with Democrats across New Jersey in the “Uncommitted” movement voting against the Biden-Harris nomination. Over 18% of Democratic voters in Passaic County decided to cast their ballots for uncommitted delegates to protest Biden’s genocide (the highest percentage in the state).
Bill Pascrell passed away in mid-August, and County Democratic bosses scrambled to pick his replacement. Once installed, Nellie Pou rapidly announced her support for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which falsely equates criticisms of Israel with antisemitism. She also voted in favor of anti-BDS laws in the New Jersey state Senate, and took a vacation to Israel in 2014. This vacation was sponsored by the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.
Nellie Pou in Israel, 2014
Pou was asked by POLITICO in an interview shortly after her installation if military aid to Israel should be conditioned. She replied, “We should continue the arrangements that we currently have” that is at “the very same level of financial support.”
With so many opportunities for Democrats to backtrack on their support for the occupation in this district, Pou’s installation came as a shock to our communities. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh had even announced that he would compete for the Democratic nomination, but changed his mind just 3 days later at the behest of Democratic party elites. One preliminary study by CAIR-Action NJ found that Andrew Sayegh had the strongest support among potential nominees, at 38%. Nellie Pou had the lowest support, at just 11%. This should be a historic scandal. After Pascrell’s death, Democrats install a zionist without a primary. If elected, Pou would be one of the greatest examples of Congressional misrepresentation in modern history.
Billy Prempeh, who has been the 9th District’s Republican candidate for the last 6 years, is a far-right character who follows Trump’s foreign policy nightmares. Although he has kept himself from speaking much about the genocide, his comments affirm the broader Republican stance: do the genocide faster. Prempeh’s claims, suggesting that the Biden-Harris administration funds Hamas, border on the extremely bizarre. He also states that the IDF is one of the most proficient militaries in the Middle East. He was a supporter of the ultra-right QAnon conspiracy theory and believes that the US should be directly assassinating members of Hamas.
These two pro-genocide candidates in a district with such a rich and historic Palestinian culture perfectly embody the worst of New Jersey’s dysfunctional political system. And what a historic failure it is: In the midst of an ongoing genocide against Palestinians, neither of the two major parties felt like promoting a fitting Congressional candidate to represent the district. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to attend Paterson’s yearly Palestine Day. Speaking at the event, Mayor Andre Sayegh said, “Two years ago, we renamed Main Street Palestine Way to let the world know that Paterson is a better place because Palestinians call our city home.” And how are Palestinian-Americans being repaid for their contributions to the 9th District? With Democrats and Republicans propping up candidates who wish to oppress and erase Palestine in the name of apartheid, occupation, and genocide.
