Thousands rally near White House to mark Israel's year-long Gaza war

Washington, DC — Just outside US President Joe Biden's doorstep, thousands gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of Israel's genocidal war in besieged Gaza, which has now expanded into Lebanon.

Many protesters on Saturday voiced their frustration with the US government for enabling Israel's carnage in the blockaded enclave, expressing fears that it could drag the entire region into an all-out war.

Activist and Code Pink co-founder, Medea Benjamin, told TRT World at the protest that Washington's aid to Israel amid the genocide feels "almost surreal".

"First, it was Gaza, then I learned more about the horrors going on in the (occupied) West Bank, and now we see what's happening in Lebanon. If they (Israel) are really crazy enough to make a war with Iran, it's going to be even more catastrophic," Benjamin, who is barred from entering Israel over her support for Palestine, told TRT World.

Benjamin said she had hoped the US would distance itself from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel expanded the war in the Middle East, but added that both Washington and Tel Aviv have proven her wrong at every turn.

"I have been wrong all along. I kept thinking they (the US) are not going to support Israel going into Lebanon… they are not going to support Israel in the invasion of Rafah. Every time I thought there was some sense to be made, I have been wrong," Benjamin said.

A member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, known only as Sara, told TRT World: "We're out here today to commemorate one year since the beginning of the genocide. But it's not only one year since the genocide, it's also one year of resisting, resisting occupation, resisting this genocide, resisting the Western hegemony that tries to stifle our people, who are attempting to liberate themselves every single day."

"So we're out here in front of the White House that has been green-lighting and enabling this genocide," she added.

The frustration was shared by many protesters. One participant, who identified as a journalist, took extreme action by trying to set himself on fire before security personnel extinguished the flames, which left only his left arm damaged. He expressed anger that mainstream media was ignoring the suffering of Palestinians and spreading misinformation.

Triple threat

Despite deep disagreements on most issues, both Democrats and Republicans hail Israel as a "beacon of democracy" in a region often hostile to US interests.

Biden continues to support Israel with weapons, even as the death toll and destruction in Palestine mount.

Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris told CNN she has no intention of changing Biden's policy toward arming Israel.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has similarly emphasised his support for Israel, claiming that no US president has served Israel like he has, calling himself the "best friend Israel has ever had".

"America has clearly stated its priorities, and it's not Americans, their priority is Israel," another protester, Dias, told TRT World, saying that Washington ignored many of its issues like debt, high taxes and others, just to push more money and weapons to Tel Aviv.

"Whether it's Trump or Kamala Harris, it's going to stay the same, they're going to stand by Israel," the Palestinian-Jordanian protester said. "They are both evil."

Dias also stressed that governments derive their power from the people, not the other way around, adding that as long as people continue to support Palestine, "Palestine will be a victor."

Another protester, 68-year-old Steve Dulaney, argued that Arabs shouldn't bear the consequences of the Holocaust, which he noted was carried out by Nazis in Germany.

"That's really unfair to Arabs. The Jews were victims of German Christians, as the Arabs were conquered by British Christians. You could punish Germany…. But you don't punish the Arabs," Dulaney, who's half English and half Irish, told TRT World.

Dulaney voiced pessimism about Biden, Harris and Trump, warning that Trump would be even worse because of his unwavering support for Israel, a claim Trump himself also makes.

Let 'real peacemakers' work

Like many of the protests that have shaken the US since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, Saturday's demonstrators demanded an end to US aid to Israel and an end to the genocide against Palestinians.

"Certainly, they should stop sending weapons to Israel, and they should figure out what role the US can play, if any, in finding a just solution for the Palestinians because maybe the best thing for the US is to get out of the way and let real peacemakers take over," Benjamin said.

Sara added, "We are demanding that the United States government, since we're part of the White House, stops its complicity in the genocide, stops its complicity in Zionism."

Another protester, Alia, told TRT World, "We need to hold our elected officials accountable, and we need to do whatever we can to say this is not acceptable. This is not the future we want for ourselves, and we will never make it our normal."

"We will always speak out against injustice; our humanity brings us here," she said.

For a year now, Israel has been carrying out its onslaught against Palestinians in besieged Gaza, killing nearly 42,000 — mostly women and children — in the blockaded enclave.

Israel has also expanded its attacks into Lebanon, where it has killed over 2,000 people since October 2023.

With full support from the West and the US, Israel's offensive shows no sign of stopping, raising fears it could engulf the entire region in a wider conflict.