(JTA) — At least 300 people were arrested at a Jewish-led rally in the U.S. Capitol calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemning Israel for a “potential genocide” of the territory.
The rally was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, two Jewish groups that have focused their criticism on Israel and accused it of genocide and other human rights violations since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400, wounding thousands and taking some 200 people captive. Israel has since declared war on Hamas, killing 3,200 in airstrikes on Gaza and wounding thousands.
The Washington rally, which organizers said drew a total of 10,000 people inside and outside the Capitol, came on the same day that President Joe Biden visited Israel in a show of support and negotiated humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians. Israel has called up hundreds of thousands of military reservists and is expected to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip shortly.
“We shut down congress to draw mass attention to the U.S. complicity in Israel’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians,” JVP posted on X. “Just as we demand an end to genocide in Gaza, we must put the same effort into dismantling the systems of Zionism, apartheid, and colonialism that brought us to this moment.”
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I PROTEST!!!
These people should not be arrested. They should be put in straitjackets and then be locked up in a high security psychiatric ward and be given heavy duty medications.
