Whether you agree with their cause and methods or not, protesters standing up for the rights of Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire of Israel’s military might and the terrorist group Hamas have made a tremendous impact on the United States pressure on the Israeli government to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Gaza.
From a local level Representative Rick Larsen Larsen (WA-02) co-sponsored HR 9649, which would restore funding for UNRWA, a refugee agency which the UN runs, and is pressuring Israel to administer humanitarian aid to Gaza immediately, however the politics in the Middle East have since grown far more complex.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led a series of coordinated attacks against Israel — on a Sabbath day and date of many Jewish holidays — killing over 1,000 Jewish civilians and approximately 350 Israeli soldiers. Approximately 3,000 Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel from Gaza using trucks, powered paragliders, bulldozers, and speedboats, opening fire on Israeli civilians and setting homes on fire. Additionally, Hamas took approximately 200 Israeli hostages, approximately 30 of which were children. That day was the largest number of Jews killed on a single day since the Holocaust.
In response, Israel declared a state of emergency and preparedness for war pledging the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.” The Israeli military urged civilians living in Gaza to flee on October 17 and led an airstrike on October 31 before troops and tanks poured in. At least 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza as of May 6, according to BBC News.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza strip has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt for the last sixteen years due to Hamas’ persistent threats and terrorist tactics. Gaza is also unfortunately densely packed with civilians of which many fell victim to Israel’s violent surge of bombings.
The United States has voiced its support of Israel with President Joe Biden refusing to call for a ceasefire. Protests have erupted across the nation with participants standing on both sides of the conflict, with pro-Israel protesters believing the retaliation is warranted for the deadly attack on October 7, as well as the decades-long history of Hamas’ harassment of Israel, while those in support of Palestine believe the extent of Israel’s retaliation is not justified especially considering children’s lives were taken as collateral and the breach of Geneva convention human rights war tactics. It should also be noted that Hamas, also, has breached several human rights policies by taking hostages, murdering, and torturing Israeli civilians.
Several protests in support of the Palestinian people, as well as the Jewish people on the other side of the aisle, have erupted since and spanned throughout 2024 – not all of them peaceful.
For example, in May of 2024, Lynnwood Times contributor, guerrilla journalist, and news fellow at conservative media network Turning Point USA, Jonathan Choe, was physically assaulted by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters on the University of Washington campus while covering a Charlie Kirk speaking event.
In November the United States began ramping up pressure on Israel to meet a series of demands to meet the humanitarian crises in Gaza or risk suspension of military support.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
