Jewish Protesters Rally At US Capitol, Urging Ceasefire In Gaza
Approximately 100 demonstrators, many of them Jews, demonstrated outside the US Congress today, chanting anti-Israeli anthems and pleading with the Joe Biden administration to work towards a ceasefire.
The protesters wore black t-shirts with the slogans “Not in our name” and “Jews say cease fire now” on them. They frequently donned kippahs, which are the traditional Jewish hats.
The protesters took over the Canon Rotunda, a Congress structure, and began singing and carrying signs. Numerous of them were detained. The official Twitter account for the US Capitol police posted: “We warned the protestors to stop demonstrating and when they did not comply, we began arresting them.”
According to the news agency, the rally was sponsored by the Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish anti-Zionist group.
Philadelphia rabbi Linda Holtzman, age 71, reportedly pleaded with Biden to “open your eyes” and called for an immediate end to hostilities.
“Biden really is the only one who has the power to pressure Israel right now and he needs to use that power to save innocent lives,” said 32-year-old Vermont-native Hannah Lawrence.
“Observe what’s occurring in Gaza. Look at Gaza’s destruction, Holtzman admonished AFP. “You must speak out and put an end to the slaughter if you want to be able to live with yourself. I want the fighting to stop immediately.
Images shared on social media showed police removing the banners and the handcuffed protestors. Dramatic footage also showed Republican Congressman Brandon Williams showing his support for the ceasefire protesters by waving an Israeli flag while they staged a sit-in.
Nearly 4,800 people have already died as a result of the violent counterattack against Israel and the strikes by Hamas on October 7. After an attack on a hospital left hundreds dead, there is now a greater call for an immediate end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip. While Tel Aviv has denied involvement in the explosion and claims that a rocket fired by a Hamas affiliate, Islamic Jihad, inadvertently hit the hospital, Hamas has claimed that Israel forces struck the facility.
Yesterday, US Vice President Biden arrived in Tel Aviv and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden informed the Israeli Prime Minister of his visit’s “simple reason” during their meeting. The US stands with Israel, he said, adding that 33 US citizens were among those slain in the Hamas strikes. “I want the people of Israel and the people of the world to know where the US stands,” he said. “They have committed evils and atrocities that make ISIS look somewhat more rational,” he stated. He further stated that “Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering” .
The hospital explosion, according to the US president, “deeply saddened” and “outraged” him. He told Netanyahu, officially endorsing Israel’s position, “From what I’ve seen, it appears it was done by the other team, and not you.”
