Petition opposing Hakeem Jeffries as US House Speaker passes one million signatures

More than a million people have signed a petition urging Democrats to reject Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives, as growing opposition to his leadership puts his support for Israel and US foreign policy under renewed scrutiny. Jeffries, who currently leads the House Democrats, is expected to become the first Black Speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, after the Democrats' sweeping midterm victories on 3 November. But Jeffries is not the Speaker-elect yet. He confirmed his candidacy last week, but his colleagues must elect him later this month. Jeffries stands currently uncontested, with no other Democratic lawmaker throwing their hat in the ring for the position. While no one in the party has come forward to run against Jeffries, several newly elected lawmakers have voiced reservations about his policy positions, casting doubt on whether they will endorse him. Some voters and influencers have mobilised, with dozens of viral videos urging citizens to call their representatives and sign the petition against Jeffries. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters “We believe the Speaker should represent the Democratic voters, not just the Democratic establishment,” says the petition put forward by social media influencer Nicole Whitted. The petition calls on representatives to examine Jeffries' public record, policy positions, campaign donor record, and leadership. 'It’s not enough to criticise the war we need to defund it' - Etan Mabourakh, National Iranian American Council An Economist/YouGov poll published last month found that Jeffries had just a 26 percent approval rating among registered voters. One reason Jeffries' popularity has taken a hit is that he is an avid supporter of Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) ranks among his top campaign-financing contributors. Israel's favourability among Americans has plummeted in recent years, according to a poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which shows Israel has its lowest favourability since 1978. According to Track AIPAC, Jeffries has taken $1.5m in donations from the pro-Israel lobbying group. Aipac took to social media platform X to congratulate Jeffries on his win. A resurfaced clip of Jeffries speaking at a United Jewish Appeal event where he says “Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel forever” is making the rounds online, with influencers urging people to call their representatives. New Yorkers protest against Jeffries On Monday, Brooklyn For Peace and the National Iranian American Council held a rally outside of Jeffries' office in New York City's Brooklyn borough. Dozens of protesters gathered holding signs that read “Stop weapons to Israel” and chanting “hey hey, ho ho, this genocide has got to go”, in reference to the war on Gaza, where over 74,500 Palestinians have been killed. The organisers handed a letter to one of the lawmaker’s staffers, urging Jeffries to oppose all further funding for the war on Iran, oppose supplying weapons to Israel, block and cut Trump’s Pentagon war budget, and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), among other demands. Brooklyn for Peace chair Charlotte Phillips had a message for Jeffries saying, “We need you to stand up and take action to protect us and our children from what's happening now, which is of such tremendous harm to us future generations and to our entire community.” Executive director of the National Iranian American Council Etan Mabourakh says Jeffries’ foreign-policy stance is making him unpopular with constituents. US midterms: Not even Trump's Israel aid stunt could rescue the Republicans Read More » “Anyone seeking to lead not just the Democratic Party but the American people must back broadly popular and urgent positions: defunding the illegal war on Iran, blocking weapons used in war crimes by the Israeli government, blocking the proposed merger of the US and Israeli militaries, and welcoming immigrants and abolishing ICE.” Jeffries has previously called the Iran war illegal and unconstitutional, but Mabourakh says those words are not enough. “It’s not enough to criticise the war; we need to defund it.” Among the protesters was New York resident Mitty Owens, who says Jeffries represents “profit over people and Israel over the US”. Owens believes that Jeffries is standing on the wrong side of history. “Holocaust experts and academics say this is genocide. It’s obvious that Israel targets and kills civilians, aid workers, and journalists. There's no excuse whatsoever why a single dollar more should be going to Israel with no conditions whatsoever.” He blames lobbying groups for the reason politicians like Jeffries have not stood against Israel. Owens is calling for a new Democratic leader in the House, saying that Jeffries has “lost his way”, going so far as to call him Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's puppet. “Why is he veering so far from what he knows is right? Because of the level of money that's in there, he's listening to Aipac and following corporate interests over listening to constituents”.