Gaza Protest - February 2008

In Anaheim, Hundreds Protest Gaza Siege

The Independent Monitor, February 2008

On Saturday, January 26, as 2000 Arabs and Jews made their pilgrimage across Israel to bring three tons of humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip, their efforts were supported by dozens of protests in cities around the world, including London, New York, Paris, Glasgow, Washington, DC, Melbourne, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Anaheim, CA, as part of the End the Siege on the People of Gaza International Day of Action.

The protests were held in response to the Israeli siege in Gaza, which has killed 76 Palestinians and injured 293 – at least 80% of whom are civilians – since January 1; and to the blockade of the borders, which has prevented food, fuel, medicines and other humanitarian needs to pass through, causing long outages of electricity in the strip, affecting hospitals, sewage systems, and heating.

In Anaheim, the number of protesters grew quickly to over 500 in the first hour of the demonstration. Police surrounded and closely monitored the situation, as a counter-protest of Israel supporters gathered across the street. The two dozen demonstrators carried signs that read, “Israel Wants Peace;” “Stop the Qassam Rockets;” and “How many people have your pals car bombed this week?” Some waved large Israeli and American flags, the street dividing the two protests like the border separating the two worlds.

Asked why she was there to support Gaza, one Muslim American woman who asked to remain anonymous said, “I usually don’t like this type of protest, because it has a negative energy to it, especially since today we have counter-protesters across the street – we have two groups shouting at each other. I prefer to follow Mother Theresa and go to something positive. But sometimes it becomes necessary – when mothers are being clubbed for trying to break into Egypt to get food for their children. It’s wrong and our voices have to be heard.”

Some of the voices heard that day came from various activist groups, who had come together to hold the protest; others were demonstrators with microphones and bullhorns, leading chants for the crowd, whose voices were often drowned out by the sound of supportive car horns.

“We’re all Palestinian until we have a free Palestine,” said Sana Ibrahim of the Palestinian American Women Association. “But in this country, we are also Americans. It is our right and responsibility to speak out against injustices.”

Shakeel Syed, of the Islamic Shura Council, announced to the crowd: “I have 3 messages today – to George Bush: Shame on you for kneeling and still massacring people all over the Middle East; to Ehud Olmert: It doesn’t matter if it has been sixty years or six hundred years, we will continue to fight for our land; and to the leaders of the Middle East: Shame on you for dancing with Bush [during his January 2008 Middle East tour] while he murdered your people! May we continue to fight for our rights!”

Zahi Damuni, of Al-Awda, added, “There has been total silence since the siege, which started after Hamas was democratically elected. We have the right to elect who we want. Mahmoud Abbas must go!”

“We cannot wait while the occupiers give us crumbs off the table of justice,” announced Muna Coobtee, a representative of the ANSWER Coalition, one of the organizers of the Anaheim protest.

At the New York rally in front of the Israeli consulate, representatives of Neturei Karta International, an Orthodox Jewish, anti-Zionist organization stated in a speech to demonstrators, “We of Neturei Karta International have been in the forefront of the battle against Zionism for over a century. Our presence here today is to refute the base lie that the evil which is Zionism in some way represents the Jewish people. The reverse is true. We are saddened day in and day out at the terrible toll of death emanating from the Holy Land. Most of these deaths have been Palestinian. Not one of them would have occurred if Zionism would never have unleashed its evil energies upon the world.”

In Israel, the convoy brought to Erez Crossing was stopped at the gate by the army, despite Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s promise that the goods would be allowed to pass through. Representatives at Erez said they would be allowed in the following Monday. As of a week later, they remain stored in a nearby kibbutz.

Representatives of Gush Shalom – one of 26 Israeli peace groups to join the convoy – have said they “have prepared an appeal to the Supreme Court, but still hope to save the money it would cost and instead buy more water filters and add these to the convoy. But if all other means would fail we are prepared to go to court.”

(Note: the goods were allowed through the crossing about two weeks later - SP)