Election victory shows that US protests in Palestine have not failed: Fighters | US midterm elections 2026 News

In the past year, it can be seen that the pro-Palestinian protest movement in the United States has lost its strength in the face of filth, destruction, apathy and fatigue.

But the string of win the election and critics of Israeli aggression seem to indicate that the success of the protest can be measured over time.

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In New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier, an activist who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, won the Democratic congressional primary against a five-year incumbent.

“It’s great to feel like the tide has turned,” said Maryam Alwan, who participated in the 2024 Columbia protest.

“Public opinion has reached a point where it’s inevitable and irrefutable, and I think we’re starting to see the problems of a movement like the camp that happened two years ago.”

Avila Chevalier’s victory was one of several victories won by Palestinian advocates in New York last week.

Last year, Zohran Mamdani he was elected mayor of New York City, in part because of the efforts of pro-Palestinian youth who supported his campaign.

In Colorado on Tuesday, Melat Kiros, who was fired from his law firm in 2023 for writing a letter to defend Palestinian rights activists against anti-Semitic accusations, unseated a member of the House who had served in Congress for nearly 30 years.

Supporters of Palestinian independence also won major contests in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Columbia case

Avila Chevalier’s success is particularly evident in the long-term impact of student protests.

The Democratic candidate, who is expected to win a safe Democratic district in November, will represent the main campuses of Columbia University, where it started.

Scary evidence violence in Gaza which was supported by their government, students at Columbia established the first camp to help the Palestinians, starting a national movement.

Students across the country turned their schools into political fronts against Israel’s war on Palestinians.

Many camps were started in schools the whole world in 2024 and chants of “Free Palestine” could be heard in schools from Seattle to Miami.

The students wanted their schools to stop abusing Israel. He called for the withdrawal of Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.

A security crackdown soon erupted, leading to the arrest of hundreds of students and the evacuation of the camps.

Avila Chevalier himself was arrested in 2024 as an alumna participating in protests.

Many students were disciplined and some were charged with crimes related to the protests as politicians from the two main political parties characterized the group as anti-Semitic.

Then, Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025 and went after student activists who were not US citizens, forcing them to be deported.

After the camps were removed, the protests became quiet and the activists defended themselves to preserve their reputation, safety and freedom, it seems that the pro-Israeli camp prevented a group of students.

‘New wave of hope’

But the issue is far from over, activists say, and recent polls show that.

“There are no words to describe the joy and satisfaction that comes from seeing Daraliza, the former leader and organizer of the camp, representing the school that built him,” said Alwan.

He also said that while students may not be successful in repaying their loans even if they have faced financial hardship, change appears to be a “slow process”, and public opinion it is now closely aligned with the opposition.

“We have new hope,” Alwan told Al Jazeera.

Cameron Jones, who participated in the protest in Columbia, said Avila Chevalier always supported young activists and was not afraid to speak out about Palestinian rights, even if it was not popular.

“It is very encouraging to see how, despite the fact that we have been facing such great oppression and we have been preparing in a very difficult environment, the power of people can still overcome all the obstacles that are being put in place by the federal government, Columbia, TV,” Jones said of the success of Avila Chevalier.

The Columbia protests were part of Avila Chevalier’s political campaign when he launched his campaign last year.

One of the criticisms of his defeated opponent, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, is that he did not sufficiently support the Colombian freedom fighter. Mahmoud Khalil as he was targeted for deportation by the Trump administration.

Heba Gowayed, a professor of sociology at the City University of New York (CUNY), said that the recent victory of the Palestinian representatives would not have been possible without the 2024 student protests.

“When we think about human societies, we see them as events, as temporary things,” Gowayed told Al Jazeera.

“And when the students are dispersed and the students lose their jobs and the university is not in the water, we see it as a loss of community.”

He said that there have been many articles announcing the defeat of student protests and that he has criticized and questioned the lack of motivation in schools in the Trump era after the crackdown.

But here we have the victory of Daraliza, the victory of Mamdani and the victory of all socialists,” he said. “This will not happen if the students do not build camps; it doesn’t happen.”