Israeli’s war against Hamas continued to divide Americans on Monday, as more than 30 people were arrested following a protest at the White House.
The demonstrations were led by Jewish groups, specifically the IfNotNow Movement and Jewish Voice for Peace groups, according to ABC 7 News.
“Protesters were seen wearing articles of Jewish religious clothing and holding signs citing their Jewish faith as a reason to oppose the war. Demonstrators were arrested by Secret Service agents, who told the outlet the arrests were due to them crossing safety barriers or blocking entrances near the White House,” the Washington Examiner reported, citing the local ABC outlet.
The reports said that the IfNotNow Movement publicized the protest ahead of time, and demonstrators met at Farragut Square around noon. The demonstration was billed as one to “Stop Genocide of Palestinians.” The organization describes itself as “a movement of American Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis.”
“With every passing day, hour, and minute, the Israeli military is making good on its promise to ‘open the gates of hell’ on the 2 million Palestinians trapped under Israeli siege in Gaza,” said a notice from the Jewish Voice for Peace group, per the Examiner.
“The loss of life over the last week has been staggering — almost too big to hold. But we must act now, because the Israeli government is plowing forward toward a fully genocidal attack on Palestinians in Gaza. We must demand a ceasefire now,” the notice continued, the outlet reported.
The Biden White House and most members of Congress have pledged support for Israel, the United States’ principle ally in the Middle East, following a surprise attack by the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas earlier this month.
The attack began with the launch of thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel and included Hamas fighters invading Israeli communities near the Gaza border, slaughtering hundreds of unarmed men, women, and children. More than 1,100 Israelis have been killed so far, according to various reports.
Israeli declared war on Hamas shortly after the attacks, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to wipe out Hamas as an organization.
President Joe Biden addressed the attacks last week shortly after they began.
“You know, there are moments in this life — and I mean this literally — when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world,” he said. “The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend. The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.
“This was an act of sheer evil,” he continued. “More than 1,000 civilians slaughtered — not just killed, slaughtered — in Israel. Among them, at least 14 American citizens killed. Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children. Stomach-turning reports of being — babies being killed. Entire families slain. Young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace — to celebrate peace. Women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies.
“Families hid their fear for hours and hours, desperately trying to keep their children quiet to avoid drawing attention,” Biden added. “And thousands of wounded, alive but carrying with them the bullet holes and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of what they endured.
“You all know these traumas never go away. There are still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they’re alive or dead or hostage,” Biden said. “Infants in their mothers’ arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors abducted and held hostage — hostages whom Hamas has now threatened to execute in violation of every code of human morality.
“It’s abhorrent. The brutality of Hamas — this bloodthirstiness — brings to mind the worst — the worst rampages of ISIS,” he added. “This is terrorism. But sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.”
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