Alaska Wants Peace in Gaza, but Pays for the War

by carlos matías

The Juneau for Palestine organization informs Sol de Medianoche that 57% of the population of Alaska (69% in the southeast of the state, where Juneau is located) supports a permanent ceasefire and a reduction of violence in Gaza. The data comes from a 2024 Data for Progress survey. However, more than seven million dollars in federal taxes from Alaskans goes to Israel’s weapons every year.

Juneau for Palestine is a group of Juneau residents from diverse backgrounds (not necessarily, nor mostly, Palestinian) who advocate for a free Palestine. This newspaper has also tracked down a group called Anchorage for Palestine, from whom it has not received a response.

“We have seen the state of Alaska contribute to Israel’s genocide,” Juneau for Palestine charges, based on the following facts:
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• The Alaska Congressional delegation has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC. (source: opensecrets.org)
• The Alaska Congressional delegation voted to approve money and arms transfers to Israel, effectively providing Israel with the means to murder Palestinians. (representatives’ voting records can be found online)
• More than seven million dollars in federal taxes from Alaskans goes to Israel’s weapons every year. (source: notmytaxdollars.org)
• The Alaska Permanent Fund has multiple investments in arms manufacturers and digital surveillance companies (directly involved in supplying arms and surveillance software to Israel), although the full extent of these types of investments is not disclosed. (source: apfc.org)
• In 2024, the governor of Alaska, Michael J. Dunleavy, issued an administrative order prohibiting the boycott of Israel by entities doing business with Alaska.

Last February, Yusuf bin Tarad al-Sadun, a member of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, published an article in the newspaper Akaz calling for “if Trump wants to play the role of champion of peace in the Middle East (Western Asia), he should send the Israelis to Alaska and then to Greenland.”