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People around the world demand an end to Israel's assault on Gaza

July 11, 2014 at 12:40 pm

Social justice activists are taking to the streets in protest against Israel’s military aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories, organising demonstrations in cities around the world to demand an immediate end to the Israeli assault on Gaza.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have called for people around the world to mobilise on Friday, 11 June in an international day of rage.

Thousands of protesters have already gathered in major American cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC, demanding not only an end to Israel’s current assault on Gaza and its on-going occupation of Palestine, but also cutting off US military aid to Israel, which amounts to more than $3 billion every year.

Protests have taken place or are being organised in cities like Austin, San Diego, New Orleans, Portland, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, Omaha, Syracuse, Dearborn, Indianapolis, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, to name a few.

Canadians have already organised or are planning protests in major cities including Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

In Europe, London saw a mass demonstration last Saturday and protesters will assemble outside the Israeli embassy again on Friday.

Protests have also taken place in English cities such as Portsmouth and Sheffield, and further afield in Glasgow, Derry, Belfast, Galway, Paris, Strasbourg, Berlin, Malmo, The Hague, Athens, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Rome, Turin, Florence, Geneva, Brussels and Istanbul, with many more protests planned today and in the coming days.

Mass protests have also been staged across the Middle East and North Africa, in cities in Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Yemen and Lebanon.

Protests are scheduled to take place in Colombia, Bolivia, Australia, South Africa and India.

So far, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the most recent escalation of violence, which dates as far back to when Israeli occupation forces killed two Palestinian teenagers in the West Bank as they were staging protests to commemorate the Nakba on 15 May.

A few weeks later, Israel conducted a mass arrest campaign after three Israeli settlers went missing and were later killed. Hundreds of Palestinians, many who are affiliated with Hamas, were imprisoned without charge. Occupation forces also raided Palestinian homes and businesses, reportedly stealing around $3 million in cash and properties.

Israel blames Hamas for the death of the settlers; however, the Islamic resistance movement has denied responsibility for their abduction and killing. Fighters in the Gaza Strip responded to the mass arrests and raids by launching rockets into Israel.

Since then, Israel has launched a massive aerial assault against the Gaza Strip, killing more than 100 Palestinians, including many women and children, and destroying about 500 homes, as well as important public infrastructure. Due to Israel’s draconian siege of the Gaza Strip, many Palestinians will likely be homeless in the months and years to come.

People around the world are demanding an end to Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip, including the inhumane siege, an end to the collective punishment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and an end to Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine.