Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
17-12-2023
WASHINGTON/ PHILADELPHIA: A Jewish group demanding a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza held protests on Thursday in eight US cities on the eighth night of Hanukkah, blocking rush hour traffic on busy streets and bridges in Washington and Philadelphia.
In Washington, the group Jewish Voice for Peace said about 90 protesters blocked the overpass to New York Avenue in the northwestern part of the US capital. Police said the demonstration closed the intersection of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street and urged people to use alternate routes.
“On the 8th night of Hanukkah, 8 cities, 8 bridges,” Jewish Voice for Peace said on X, formerly called Twitter. “We are here, gathering across the country in massive, growing numbers, to say no more.”
Demonstrations also occurred in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters briefly blocked the I-76 highway, and more than 30 arrests were made, a Reuters witness said. Protesters held signs and banners that read: “Let Gaza Live” and “Not in our name.”
The United Nations on Tuesday demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip where Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas militants.
The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States since Oct. 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 240 hostages in a cross-border raid.
Since then, Israeli forces have besieged the coastal enclave and laid much of it to waste, with nearly 19,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
On Wednesday, anti-war activists blocked traffic on a busy Los Angeles highway during the morning rush hour and while some staff from the Biden administration also held a vigil demanding a ceasefire.
Activists from a Jewish group demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip blocked traffic on a busy Los Angeles highway during Wednesday morning’s rush hour and snarled traffic for miles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The protesters from the If Not Now organization sat down on the southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway downtown at about 9 am, bringing commuters to a halt. The protesters wore black shirts reading “Not in Our Name” and held up placards demanding Israel halt military operations in Gaza.
Video on KCAL TV showed a few enraged motorists fighting with protesters before police arrived.
About 75 protesters were detained when CHP officers began clearing the highway around 10 am, the highway patrol said.
Israel’s military campaign on Gaza has sparked protests in cities around the world.
However, the United Nations on Tuesday demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as US President Joe Biden warned Israel it was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians in its war against Hamas militants.
After dire warnings by UN officials about a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the 193-member UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire with 153 countries voting in favour and 23 abstaining. The U.S. and Israel, which argue a ceasefire only benefits Hamas, voted against the measure along with eight other countries. (Int’l News Desk)
