From LA to DC, activists launch convoy to 'challenge' voters' perceptions of Israel

What Happened

On Saturday, a 42-person convoy called 'Freedom Convoy USA' launched from outside the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles at noon local time, beginning a 10-day, 5,000km route through 17 states—including Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Pennsylvania—to Washington, DC. The convoy is scheduled to arrive at the US Capitol on 26 October to deliver a 'We The People' petition to congressional offices, just over a week before the 3 November midterms. Organiser Hazami Barmada, known for a 2024 Gaza encampment outside former Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s home, said in an Instagram video that the goal is to challenge what she described as a lack of information about 'Israel’s reality' and 'Zionism,' which she called a 'racist, ethno-state, settler-colonial project' and 'antisemitic in and of itself.' She said the convoy does not expect immediate opinion changes but hopes to 'plant seeds of doubt.' The article reports that the Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll last week found 56 percent of Americans want US military aid to Israel decreased or stopped, and Israel received a 44 on its 0-100 thermometer scale; it also reports that a United Nations investigative body concluded last year that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The convoy reflects a documented shift in US public opinion on Israel—polling cited in the article shows a majority of Americans now favour reducing or ending military aid, which could influence congressional votes on aid packages and US diplomatic leverage in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Because the convoy routes through southern 'Bible Belt' states where evangelical support for Israel has traditionally been strong, it tests whether that shift extends into constituencies that could affect midterm outcomes. The campaign also frames aid to Israel as competing with domestic priorities, a message that could shape post-election legislative decisions on foreign assistance.

Watch For

The convoy is expected to arrive at the US Capitol on 26 October to deliver the 'We The People' petition to congressional offices. Monitor whether any members of Congress or committees respond, and whether the 3 November midterm results shift House or Senate control. Also watch for further polling from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Gallup and Pew Research Center on US military aid to Israel, and any legislative proposals to condition or reduce that aid after Congress returns.