They’ll miss one of the men their message is aimed at by a few days — President Obama leaves town Tuesday night. Protesters are planning an “Anti-Genocide Noise Brigade” rally and march starting on Capitol Hill Thursday:
Join others who refuse to allow the atrocities against the Palestinian peoples continue without LOUD RESISTANCE. Bring pots n pans, musical instruments, yourself! every week. We will march in solidarity with the Palestinian peoples resisting occupation by Israeli colonizers
The un-permitted march starts at Seattle Central Thursday, July 24th at 7:30 PM, according to organizers. No route for the march has been posted.
The Israeli-Palestinian issue is not as one-sided as this group would have us believe. There is blame and atrocities on both sides. For example, how would we respond if the Canadian military was lobbing bombs into Seattle?
The problem is seeing it as a matter of “sides.” Whose side are the Palestinian civilian casualties on? The Israeli? And you cannot ignore the tremendous power disparity between Israel and the inchoate Palestinian state, especially in military terms. Were the Canadian military lobbing bombs on Seattle, we would respond… but not by lobbing shells into downtown Vancouver, even if that were the origin of said bombardment. Also, it’d be hard to cry foul if we’d been building provocative settlements in British Columbia. This long cycle of violence will only end when Israel repudiates the ambitions of those of its citizens who insist on a “Greater Israel,” just as Palestinians need to repudiate the more violent actors in their hectic internal politics.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I would just point out that Hamas is responsible for many of the civilian casualties in Gaza, because they regularly use citizens as “human shields” to try and discourage Israel from bombing. This action by Hamas is totally immoral.
I agree that Israel should roll back all of the settlements on the West Bank. That would go a long way towards a lasting peace and finally the “two-state solution” would have a chance. But Hamas would have to denounce their long-time policy (embedded in their Charter) to wipe Israel off the map.
Yep Israel somehow became the only country in the world that’s supposed to sit back, watch their nation get bombed and then do nothing about it.
My opinion of the settlements and settlers and the continued government support of them in Israel is very negative.
However:
Do we ever march for African countries where genocide is also being committed? Why is Israel the focus now….more than the African countries?
Where are the other countries in the area offering safe harbor to the Gazans?
uh huh…banging on pots like a 3 year old child, pissing off the neighbors with noise will stop genocide thousands of miles away. Maybe if I lob water balloons at kittens I’ll end world hunger. I hear whistling Dixie while picking my nose and riding a unicycle cures cancer. Lets all try it.
I’ll bet none of these pot-bangers ever wrote or called their elected representatives to voice their opinions.
Mertle – There are no settlements or settlers in Gaza. Israel completely pulled out 9 years ago. That is how and why Hamas took over and started firing rockets at Israel.
And the thanks from Gaza for this? Why of course to lob rockets into Israel. Hamas is under the impression that if they keep lobbing rockets into Israel all the Israelis will move out and leave everything for Hamas to take. Or you can take the tack that Helen Thomas did and tell them to “go back” to where they supposedly came from.
No thanks at all. Unfortunately all they understand is force and strength. Hamas leaderships gets rich and the people suffer. They have no incentive for peace.