Residents rally for Palestine in wake of airstrikes

Westwood community members and students chanted while marching to the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard Sunday to protest what they claimed was the Israeli occupation of areas such as West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Al-Awda, a group dedicated to helping Palestinian refugees, and Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, also known as the ANSWER Coalition, an organization devoted to protest racism, war and foreign occupation of nations, hosted the march. Sheela Xiao, an event organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, said the event was organized to inform people of the recent airstrikes in Palestine.

Several people dressed in traditional Palestinian attire chanted “Occupation is a crime. Free, free Palestine,” and marched from the Federal Building located on Wilshire Boulevard. While marching to the consulate, participants carried several posters saying “Free Gaza,” “End US Aid” and “Zionism is Racism.”

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict includes disputes about the occupation of the West Bank and the claimed occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israeli military, among other issues. The region has continued to experience violence, as Israelis and Palestinians fight over the territory.

About 70 Palestinians, 44 of whom Israeli military claimed were attackers, have died due to Israeli gunfire since early October, following a recent escalation in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Amani Barakat, an event organizer, said the event intended to voice the Palestinian community’s frustration with the deaths of Palestinian citizens in Israeli-occupied areas.

“We know standing here is not going to help much over there,” she said. “But it’s about showing the fact that we won’t let our tax money finance these atrocities.”

Erika Martinez, an attendee affiliated with Colectivo de Mujeres Migrantes Unidas, an advocacy group for undocumented women’s rights, said her group participated in the march to support the Palestinian Youth Movement. The movement encourages young Palestinians worldwide to advocate for social and political justice.

Martinez added she thinks the march allowed different communities to come together to express their support for Palestinians injured or killed in attacks.

Safwan Ibrahim, president of Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA and a participant in the march, said he thinks the intense militarization in the area has caused Palestinians to lose their land, homes and livelihoods.

Ibrahim added he thinks the increased violence in the area also leads to criminalization of Palestinians in the United States.

Barakat said the Coalition will continue to organize protests and awareness marches until Palestinians acquire the areas. The ANSWER coalition will organize another protest on Nov. 9 at the Israeli Consulate to demand an end to all U.S. aid given to Israel.

Contributing reports by Nis Hamid, Bruin contributor.