Hundreds of protesters gathered within sight of the Capitol, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and expressing criticism of the Israeli and American governments.
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of protesters gathered within sight of the U.S. Capitol, shouting pro-Palestinian slogans and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans as a painful reminder of the current war in Gaza and the past exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians. He voiced criticism of the Israeli and American governments. Many fled or were forced to immigrate from what is now Israel when the state was established in 1948.
About 400 demonstrators braved the rain to gather on the National Mall to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the so-called Nakba, which means disaster in Arabic. In January, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists gathered in the capital in one of the largest protests in memory.
There were voices in support of Palestinian rights and calls for an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. “There is no peace on stolen land” and “Stop the murders, stop the crimes/Get Israel out of Palestine” chants echoed through the crowd.
Demonstrators have also focused their anger on President Joe Biden, who has expressed concern over the death toll in the Gaza Strip.
“Biden, Biden, you will see that genocide is your legacy,” they said. The Democratic president was visiting Atlanta on Saturday.
Reem Rababudi, a sophomore at George Washington University, said she was pepper-sprayed by police as she dispersed a protest encampment on campus last week, and the rain limited the number of participants. I admitted that it seemed like it.
“I’m so proud of each and every person who spoke out and sent messages in this weather,” she said.
This year's commemorations were fueled by anger over the ongoing siege of Gaza. The latest Israeli-Hamas war began on October 7 when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostages. Israeli forces have killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which says Palestinian militants still hold about 100 prisoners and does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. did.
Speaker Osama Aburshad, executive director of Muslims for Palestine America, gestured toward the Capitol dome behind him.
“This Congress does not represent us. This Congress does not represent the will of the people.” “We're paying for the bombs. We're paying for the F-16s and F-35s. And we're doing the poor Palestinians a favor and sending them food.”
Speakers also expressed anger at the violent crackdown on multiple pro-Palestinian protest camps at universities across the country. In recent weeks, police have destroyed long-term camps at more than 60 schools. Just under 3,000 protesters were arrested.
“Students are the conscience of America,” Abuirshad said, likening the campus protests to the Vietnam War and earlier protests against apartheid-era South Africa. “That's why the authorities are working so hard to silence them.”
In addition to calling on Israel and the Biden administration to immediately end hostilities in Gaza, activists have long advocated the right of return for Palestinian refugees, a red line that Israel cannot cross in decades of start-and-cease negotiations. I've done it.
After the Arab-Israeli war following the establishment of the state of Israel, Israel refused to allow Palestinians to return on the grounds that they would become the majority within Israel's borders. Instead, they have become a seemingly permanent refugee community, now numbering around 6 million, mostly in urban areas like the slums of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. I live in a camp. Refugees and their descendants make up about three-quarters of Gaza's population.
At several points during the rally and subsequent march, demonstrators held call-and-response sessions in which speakers named various Israeli cities and occupied territories. The answer is “Lage!” — Arabic for “I’ll be back!”
Demonstrators marched for several blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Street, in front of which police cars blocked off the road. One counter-demonstrator attempted to march near the front of the procession, waving an Israeli flag. At one point, one of the protesters snatched the flag and fled.
As tensions rose, members of the demonstrators' “safety team” formed a tight formation around the man, blocking his progress and protecting him from impatient members of the crowd. The confrontation ended when officers intervened and removed the man and told him to go home.
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Associated Press writer Joseph Kraus in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
