Overview:
Local activists in Bend held a hunger strike outside Senator Ron Wyden's office to protest U.S. military aid to Israel. Senator Jeff Merkley announced a groundbreaking resolution asking the president to recognize a Palestinian state.
Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced in a press release Sept. 18 a groundbreaking resolution asking the President to recognize a Palestinian state. It’s the first time the U.S. Senate has ever formally called for recognizing a Palestinian state while also supporting a secure Israel. The announcement comes just two days after Central Oregon activists staged a hunger strike outside Sen. Ron Wyden’s Bend office. On Sept. 16, activists joined a broader solidarity movement, sparked by a United Nations report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Local activists stage hunger strike
The local action, part of the “All for Gaza. All for Palestine.” campaign, took place from 10am to 3 pm outside the federal building in downtown Bend. Six people participated in the hunger strike, while a handful of other demonstrators came to show their support. Over 100 cities throughout the world participated in this event, although the group’s aim has been less about high turnout and more about raising awareness about the crisis in Gaza, reports Karim Bouris, a Redmond resident. “This was coordinated to send a message to Senator [Ron] Wyden’s office, in his role to do more to end the genocide in Gaza,” says Bouris.
“The people of Gaza are forced to live in intolerable conditions of acute malnutrition and famine,” said Michel Shehadeh, a member of the activist group Central Oregon for a Free Palestine. “The least we can do is let our neighbors know the price we pay in America for the privilege of eating food every day.”
More than 100 humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam and Save the Children, have warned that Gaza faces imminent famine due to limited access to food, medicine and clean water. According to a report from PBS News, “the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war passed 65,000.”
Growing opposition to military support
Public opinion in the U.S. has also shifted. A new Gallup poll shows that only 32% of Americans approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, down 10 percentage points since last September. Disapproval has risen to 60%, marking the lowest level of U.S. support since the war began.
Wyden’s position under scrutiny
Wyden has supported U.S. arms sales to Israel, citing the country’s need to defend itself against threats from Iran. However, he has also voiced concern over civilian casualties in Gaza and joined Sen. Jeff Merkley in August to call for stronger oversight of aid restrictions. Merkley has consistently voted to block the sales of firearms to Israel.
“We write to express our grave concern over reports that Israeli settlers are obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and engaging in violent attacks against Palestinian civilians, including U.S. citizens, in the West Bank,” Wyden and Merkley wrote in an Aug. 20 letter to the U.S. secretaries of State and Treasury. The senators urged the administration to investigate the reports and consider sanctions under Executive Order 13818.
Activists at Tuesday’s hunger strike say Wyden’s statements have not gone far enough.
“For months, every credible nongovernmental organization around the globe has sounded the alarm about the imminent famine,” said Shehadeh. “Unfortunately, Senator Ron Wyden has done little to hold the federal government to its legal obligations under international law… or to block American sales of weapons to Israel.”
When contacted for comment, Wyden stated: “I’ve stood up to billionaires, Big Tech, Big Pharma and the intelligence agencies – you name a powerful interest group and I’ve championed legislation that puts Oregonians pocketbooks and interests first. Every year, in every county, I host town hall where Oregonians have the opportunity to hold me accountable. Those are the people and conversations I take into account when considering how best to represent Oregon in the Senate – not any donation from any donor. Period. Some people may not like where I land on one position or another, but to claim my stance on an issue is because of a contribution someone made is insulting to the thousands of people that have made their voices heard at the over 1,135 town halls I’ve had over the years.”
International push for two-state solution
There have been growing international calls for a two-state solution, with Merkley’s historic resolution representing the latest push for action. Joining seven other U.S. senators, Merkley emphasized the urgency of the moment. “Recognition of a Palestinian state is not only a practical step the United States can take to help build a future where Palestinians and Israelis can live in freedom, dignity, and security, but it is the right thing to do,” he stated in Thursday’s press release. “America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now.”
Merkley’s resolution comes as world leaders gather at the UN in New York next week, where several U.S. allies are getting ready to recognize a Palestinian state. They’d be joining more than 140 of the 193 UN countries that already do.
At July’s UN conference, Secretary-General António Guterres urged member states to move beyond “well-meaning rhetoric” and act to end the Israeli occupation. He reiterated that the only viable path forward is through two independent states living side by side with Jerusalem as a shared capital.
Just eight months earlier, the UN General Assembly had passed Resolution 79/163, reaffirming Palestinians’ right to self-determination and an independent state. While not legally binding, the resolution underscored global support for Palestinian statehood and called on all member nations to back diplomatic efforts under existing international frameworks.
Merkley’s call to action, alongside Tuesday’s hunger strike in Bend, represents part of a broader movement among U.S. communities to amplify Palestinian voices and push for accountability from elected officials.
This article appears in the Source September 18, 2025.
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Thank you for your reporting! So helpful!
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Merkley’s right. Wyden’s wrong. Israel is engaged in genocide. Free Palestine! –Michael Funke