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US protesters take to streets against Israeli attack on Gaza aid ships
Published: 01 June, 2010, 09:45
Edited: 04 June, 2010, 02:14
United States, Los Angeles : Demonstrators protest against the Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian relief supplies to the Gaza Strip, outside the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, California on May 31, 2010. (AFP Photo / Robyn Beck)
(11.2Mb) embed videoTAGS: Conflict, Middle East, Protest, Politics, Gaza Stories, USA
Washington has voiced concerns over the recent conflict off the Gaza coast. Yet US authorities have stopped short of outright condemnation. Meanwhile, US citizens are taking to the streets to denounce Israel’s actions.
Palestinian sympathizers, critics of Israel and human rights watchdogs gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, demanding that the embassy should be shut down.
There is no question among the protestors as to who should be held accountable for the incident.
"It was a cold-blooded massacre of people whose only crime was trying to extend aid and solidarity to a blockaded people," says a male protestor.
"There's no question as to who's to blame. The Israeli ships, in the middle of international waters – in other words, on the high seas – boarded other people's ships and they rappelled down ropes. They shot from helicopter on to those boats," says Brian Becker, an anti-Israel activist.
Israel attacking the international flotilla acted as a wake-up call for people who might be usually too distant from the reality of the Middle East conflict.
"If Americans would try to put themselves in the shoes of somebody in Gaza… Imagine for a minute, you’re living in a space twice the size of DC. You’re never allowed out. No one’s allowed in. You have no jobs. Unemployment’s like over 50 per cent. You’re dependent on handouts – rice, and some oil and that kind of thing – wouldn’t you hate the person that’s doing this to you?” says another protestor, Pam Bailey, a freelance journalist who spent five months in Gaza.
“If there’s a bright lining to this very dark cloud, it’s maybe, just maybe, people will finally sit up and take notice,” adds Pam Bailey.
31.05.2010, 13:39
1 comment
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02.06.2010, 00:20
8 comments
Americans rally against attack on flotillaAlthough Americans are not known for their interest in world affairs, Washington residents turned out on a holiday weekend to protest Israel's attack on a humanitarian flotilla headed to Gaza. |
@Kihnu: As an American I understand what you are saying. Please understand though that just because the US Govt is the enabler of the terrorist state of Israel doesn;t mean all of her citizens agree. I am many that I have spoken with are fed up with our support for Israel. It is my greatest hope that the time has come that the American people who oppose Israel (there are millions of us) will stand up to our governemnt and say NO MORE! Enough is enough and I for one will not support another dime in aid to Israel. It sickens me that our government is nothing more than a puppet to their Israeli masters. You have to understand though Kihnu that there are Israeli citizens who serve in our government. It is going to take us a long time to clean up this mess of zionism in our government but I have the confidence that soon we will. Make no mistake Kinhu the majority of Americans have had it with our support for Israel. Israel's days of support from the United States is coming to an end.
The US government won't pay attention to any of these protests because to do so lends credence to the view that human life has some value and Israel must be punished for killing 19 Muslins on a ship. The US can not afford to have the American people begin to think in these terms since the rampage by their Pentagon generals, in Afghanistan and Iraqi, have strewn the countries with more than a million dead and millions more maimed. No folks, America will not show any sympathy to the 19 Muslims killed by the Israelis.
It's become a tradition for the US government to forgive Israeli terrorists, even if they kill American citizens. One can remember the deliberate attack on the US's Liberty warship by Israeli Defence Forces on June 8, 1967, when Israelis killed 34 Americans and wounded 171 others. Israel hasn't been punished for this crime. So, should we wait for any US's anti-Israel actions now?