4 yıl önce

Pro-Palestine rally in Washington, DC calls for an end to US aid to Israel

Pro-Palestinian rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial came as a ceasefire that ended 11 days of Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

AP

Supporters of the Palestinians rally during the National March for Palestine demonstration at Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, Saturday, May 29. 2021.

More than 1,000 have rallied in Washington, DC in support of Palestinians and calling for an end to US aid to Israel.

"We are hoping to send a clear message to the United States government that the days of supporting the Israeli state without repercussions are over," one of the demonstrators, 39-year-old Washington, DC lawyer Sharif Silmi, said as he stood in the crowd where many protesters held red, white, green and black Palestinian flags.

"We will stand against any politician that continues to fund weapons to Israel. We will oppose them, we will vote against them, we will fund their opponents, until we vote them out of office," said Silmi.

March 20: Massive pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, DC. #Palestine #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/kBYEkyXYs3
— Tanya Hutchins (@TanyaHutchins) March 20, 2016

Was wrong about the turnout for the pro-Palestinian rally in DC today. It seemed like a moderate crowd in the beginning, but when the march finally started, the amount of people quadrupled. It’s the biggest rally on a foreign policy issue that I’ve seen in Washington so far. pic.twitter.com/UIGgTLhTm5
— Ruslan Moldovanov (@Revolov) May 15, 2021

Lama Alahmad, a resident of neighbouring Virginia who is of Palestinian origin, said US public opinion is turning in favour of the Palestinian cause.

"There is a huge change" going on in the US with regard to the Palestinian cause seeking a sovereign homeland, said Alahmad.

"We just want the world to recognize that we are human beings. We are not terrorists," said Alahmad, a 43-year-old stay at home mother who grew up in the United Arab Emirates before moving to the US around 20 years ago.

AP

Supporters of the Palestinians rally during the National March for Palestine demonstration at Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, Saturday, May 29. 2021.

AP

Members of a Jewish community join supporters of the Palestinians during the National March for Palestine demonstration at Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, Saturday, May 29. 2021.

Silmi insisted there was now broad opposition in the US to how Israel treats the Palestinians, which he likened to apartheid in South Africa.

"People have now woken up, and we're resisting. Whether young Jews, young Muslims, young Blacks, young whites, there is a generational shift. And people are working across ethnic groups, racial groups, to work for change and freedom and liberation for Palestinian people," Silmi said.