Protesters mark 3 years since the beginning of Gaza genocide, demand sanctions, arms embargo
Hundreds rally outside US Capitol to demand arms embargo against Israel. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outside the US Capitol on Saturday to demand an end to Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip as well as a US arms embargo and sanctions on Israel.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags and carried large signs denouncing the genocide in Gaza and Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Some signs drew attention to the economic costs of US wars, linking military spending to high prices and low wages at home.
Organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement and other pro-Palestinian groups, the rally and march marked three years since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Urging renewed pressure on Washington for its military and diplomatic support for Israel, organisers demanded an “absolute arms embargo and sanctions” on Israel.
Nouhad Akkar of the Palestinian Youth Movement told Anadolu that the demonstrators are determined to hold elected officials accountable for US military assistance to Israel.
“We will not let this genocide be normalised,” she said. “We are sending a message to our people in Gaza, to our people in the region, that we will continue to fight for them, not just for an end to the genocide, but until total liberation and return.”
Read: One year after ceasefire, Gaza’s promised ‘day after’ has yet to arrive
Akkar also urged public institutions to divest from weapons manufacturers supplying Israel. She said her group is campaigning for the state retirement system in Virginia, where many Washington federal government workers live, to withdraw more than $394 million in pension investments in such companies.
“We would like to see elected officials take a stand against the investment of this money,” she said.
‘These are not isolated tragedies’
Isabella Javidan of the National Iranian American Council linked Israel’s offensive in Gaza to military operations in Lebanon and Iran, accusing US lawmakers and defense contractors of enabling violence across the region.
“These are not isolated tragedies. They are not separate; they are expressions of the same imperialist project,” she told the crowd.
Javidan said members of Congress have “repeatedly chosen death over diplomacy, military domination over basic human dignity, and the interests of the war industry over the lives of millions.”
She said lawmakers should recognise that decisions on weapons shipments, military funding, and sanctions have consequences for civilians.
Among the demonstrators, Erik W., who requested that only his first name be used, told Anadolu that he opposes politicians invoking the safety of Jewish Americans to justify arming Israel.
“For me personally, as a Jewish American, I feel like there are a lot of people in government who are speaking on my behalf and are justifying arming a genocide,” he said.
“I think arming Israel does not combat antisemitism,” he added, arguing that Israel’s actions are harming perceptions of Judaism.
His sign read: “No genocide in our name.” He demanded an immediate arms embargo and urged people not to shy away from describing events in Gaza as genocide and ethnic cleansing.
A discussion with Palestinian political figure Mustafa Barghouti and writer Jehad Abusalim was scheduled to follow the march.
The protest rally took place just weeks before Nov. 3 midterm elections for the US Congress, whose lawmakers must vote to approve any military aid to Israel.
The elections are coming amid growing US public disapproval of Israel’s actions, as well as loud calls for an end to Washington’s “business as usual” support for Israel.
