Protesters in US capital warn of Israeli 'genocide' in besieged Gaza

Washington, DC — For Burton, an American Jew, the root cause of ongoing war between Israel and Palestine is not the Hamas' unprecedented surprise attack on Israeli settlements and towns but the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians and continued US support to Israel.

"The root cause of the current violence is that the Palestinians were pushed off their land and were ethnically cleansed," said Burton, who was among thousands of protesters outside the White House in Washington DC on Saturday, demanding end to Israeli bombardment of besieged Gaza and final settlement to Israel-Palestine conflict.

Burton, who wished to use his first name only, told TRT World he was participating "to show that there are many in America who don't support the idea of America giving unconditional support and more weapons to Israel to kill people in Gaza."

Calling Israeli bombardment of besieged Gaza "a horrible tragedy," he said Israel must immediately end its war on the blockaded enclave and try to reach some "negotiated settlement" with the Palestine.

The pro-Palestine demonstration in the US capital saw people from all communities and ethnicities, including Arabs, Asians, Latinos, Jews, African-Americans and others.

Demonstrators held signs that read "Free Palestine", "Resistance is not terrorism", and "End ethnic cleansing" while chanting "Free Palestine" and "Free Gaza" during their march.

Organisers said there were around 5,000 participants. Demonstrations were also held in other major US cities and states.

Media bias

Mohammed Usrof, a protester of Gaza origin, slammed what he called Western media bias and the false narrative on the current crisis.

"It has long-term implications," Usrof said, adding "What I hope by protesting is that we can get this message clear to the news outlets and to the general public."

Since the start of the fight, the Western media has come under fire for its pro-Israel bias and anti-Palestine coverage.

Usrof also urged Arab countries to move forward with a stronger front for the Palestinian people "instead of being neutral."

Another demonstrator, Badreddine Rachidi, a Moroccan student in the US, told TRT World that while the war on Gaza is devastating, the way the international community has reacted is "shocking."

"There are barely any calls for ceasefire or push forward with a solution to end the occupation. It's basically supporting genocide," Rachidi said.

"The only hope for the people to resist this across the world is to be out in the streets."

'Stop dehumanising Palestinians'

Donia, who has family ties in besieged Gaza, said history is being ignored, and the West is taking the fight out of context to justify Israel's actions.

"This is not unprovoked," Donia told TRT World.

"We just demand that Western media and governments stop dehumanising Palestinians. We're demanding they stop genocide in Gaza."

She also blamed the US for "bankrolling" Israel's bombardment of blockaded Gaza.

"The most urgent thing to happen right now is to stop the genocide. Israel should not be allowed to do whatever they want to do. They have to go back to the international law."

Israeli bombardment on Gaza has killed over 2,200 Palestinians, including 724 children, More than 1,300 Israelis were killed in the Hamas raid on Israeli side of the fence last week.

Thousands of Palestinians have fled north of Gaza from the path of expected Israeli ground invasion, while Israel continues to pound the besieged enclave with more air and land strikes.

Most of the residents of northern Gaza, some 1.1 million people, have defied Israeli ultimatums of evacuating the region.

Despite taking place thousands of kilometres from the US, Israel-Palestine war and the root cause of it has roiled and agitated American communities, including in US capital and other states.