Watch Effie’s Interview With Zeteo On Her Trip to The West Bank

February 21, 2026

Local Democrats attacked her. A high-profile Democratic bundler demanded she drop out. Israeli settlers threw eggs at her. Congressional candidate Effie Phillips-Staley says all this happened to her as she did what many US politicians don’t: she visited Palestine. And she tells Prem that she is not backing down. Phillips-Staley is running in the Democratic primary for New York’s 17th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. In this interview, Phillips-Staley talks to Prem Thakker about the backlash she’s faced for calling out Israel’s apartheid, her background as the daughter of an immigrant from El Salvador and a military veteran from Oklahoma, why she supports Medicare-for-All and abolishing ICE, and so much more.

Chapters: 00:00

Intro 03:21

Visiting Palestine 08:45

Egged by Settlers 15:00

Attacked by Party 21:30

Campaign Focus 24:21

Immigration 28:00

Mike Lawler