An estimated 400,000 people gathered in Washington DC Saturday afternoon, traveling from all over the East Coast and Midwest to attend the rally and march for Palestine. It was the largest march in support of Palestine in US history.
They called on the US President, leadership and Congress to take action now to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza, on the 99th day straight of Israeli bombardment of civilians in Gaza. The US has been Israel’s largest supporter since the Carter administration, with an average of $3 billion in funding provided each year by the US to Israel. Since October 7th, the US has continued to increase the amount of money and weaponry it provides to the Israeli government, despite widespread opposition across the US to that aid
Pro-Palestine protests were held all around the world as part of a “global day of action” against the war in Gaza.
Israel’s military assault on Gaza has resulted in over 23,210 Palestinian deaths and has left more than 60,000 wounded. pic.twitter.com/1h9DAQ7TOe
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 13, 2024
Alana Hadid joins tens of thousands in DC’s March for Gaza, demanding an end to the occupation and Gaza blockade.
Amidst a sea of Palestinian flags near the White House, calls for ‘Free Palestine’ resonate in the “Global Day of Action for Gaza” echoed in 121 cities worldwide. pic.twitter.com/NRmyZdDmG7
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 14, 2024
500,000 people again gathered in London – the second time in a matter of weeks that such a large crowd has been galvanized to speak up and take action. The British government is second only to the US in its monetary and weapons support for the Israeli military. But many in the country are aware of the colonial history of Britain’s involvement, and its complicity in forcing the displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population of Palestine for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Al Jazeera in London reported that a member of the Palestine Youth Movement attending the march in London said protesters are angry over the injustice in Gaza and determined to keep marching for Palestinian rights.
“The sentiment is one of rage and frustration,” she told Al Jazeera. “We have been taking to the streets every week since October 7″ while “the UK’s politicians have continued to fund and support the genocide. Ultimately, we know that in the grand scheme of things – in the long arc of justice – we are winning, we are going to continue taking to the streets, continue applying pressure, until Palestine is free.”
According to Al Jazeera, a massive rally was also held on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where people gathered at the United States embassy to send a message to Israel’s closest ally. The US has repeatedly used its ‘veto’ power (granted following the creation of the UN Security Council after World War II) to prevent the passage of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, overwhelmingly supported by virtually every country in the global South, and most in the North as well, condemning Israel’s ceaseless bombardment of civilians in Gaza and demanding an immediate ceasefire.
“We’ve spoken to people here who say they’ve come to show solidarity with Palestinians. People are holding up placards that read: ‘Stop the genocide’, as well as ‘Bombing children is not self-defence’,” said Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur.
The demonstrations are part of a “global day of action for Palestine” and to call for an end to the Israeli bombardment that has killed 23,843 people and wounded more than 60,317, according to Palestinian health officials.
Last month, Malaysia’s government said it would no longer allow Israeli-owned ships to dock in Malaysian ports. It also said any vessel en route to Israel would not be allowed to unload cargo at any Malaysian port.
The protest movement in Malaysia, organised in collaboration with dozens of NGOs, said it aimed to educate people not only about the atrocities that are happening in Gaza, but also about the history of the occupation.
Thousands of people also gathered outside the US embassy in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and holding signs that read “Boycott Israel” and “Ceasefire Now.”
In hundreds of other cities and towns worldwide, protests were held Saturday and in the days leading up to it, in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Protesters called for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the brutal and oppressive Israeli military occupation that has gone unchecked for many years in the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, Golan Heights and Shebaa Farms – including the expansion of the borders of the Israeli state with huge population transfers (consisting mainly of immigrants to Israel) onto colonial settlements on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank. Since the Oslo Accords of 1993, which were touted as a ‘peaceful end’ to the conflict, Israeli forces have taken over more and more land through military force, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and planting 500,000 Israelis on the land that used to be theirs.
In Denver, Colorado, according to Colorado News Online, “a group of at least 50 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Colorado Capitol in Denver Thursday to send a message to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis during his State of the State address…Many protesters said the governor should prioritize local housing, health care and climate solutions in Colorado as opposed to funding the conflict, such as through trade and other forms of support.
“’We still don’t have accountability for Israel’s crimes and Gov. Polis has not moved an inch on his unwavering support for Israel throughout this genocide,’ one organizer told reporters. Referring to Polis’ capacity to influence President Joe Biden, they said, ‘It’s unacceptable for a so-called progressive, a so-called champion of the people, to be in there not calling for an immediate ceasefire, not using his position to pressure ‘genocide Joe’ into ending U.S. aid to Israel.’
In Portland, Oregon on Friday, a group of Jewish activists blocked a street in front of the federal building in the city, demanding that federal officials take action to end the genocide and support the people of Gaza to rebuild their lives.
Breaking: Jewish Palestine activists have shut down traffic at the federal building in Portland to demand @POTUS call for a #Ceasefire_In_Gaza_Now. They are saying business as usual can’t continue while genocide occurs in #Palestine pic.twitter.com/NfhZzqsJVI
— Shane Burley בד (@shane_burley1) January 11, 2024
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen, were the first US members of Congress to travel to the Rafah border crossing this past week and witness the appalling situation that Israeli forces have imposed there – with hundreds of aid trucks backed up at the border, not being allowed in to provide support for Gaza’s 2.4 million people who are currently at severe risk of malnutrition, starvation and preventable diseases due to a lack of clean water and medical supplies (Israel has bombed most of Gaza’s hospitals).
On Thursday, while the Israeli government was on trial at the International Court of Justice at the Hague for charges of genocide, the San Antonio, Texas City Council was considering a Gaza ceasefire proclamation – following in the footsteps of a number of other US City Councils across the country. But the measure did not come to a vote – it was apparently removed from the agenda at the last minute, and protesters filled the City Council hall with chants of “Ceasefire Now” until the mayor declared a recess.
San Antonio City Council heard from 40 people during Public Comment tonight who urged them to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.
An effort to schedule a February vote on a cease-fire resolution fell apart this week.
Background here:https://t.co/Pp1LEEid7n pic.twitter.com/kFuXjJ7YAq
— Molly Smith (@smithmollyk) January 11, 2024
