As Trump meets Netanyahu, protesters chant: ‘Palestine is not for sale’

As Trump meets Netanyahu, protesters chant: ‘Palestine is not for sale’

Washington, DC – Hundreds of protesters outside the White House reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s call for ethnic cleansing of Gaza and for the United States to “own” the territory.

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Washington, DC to demand that the Trump administration stop providing weapons to Israel.

The protesters chanted, “Free Palestine” and denounced Israeli atrocities amid a heavy security presence.

Michael Schirtzer, an activist at the protest, said Americans do not want their tax money used to kill Palestinians.

Schirtzer dismissed Trump’s call for ethnically cleansing Gaza as an “insane” position.

“The people of Palestine will be going nowhere. They are the Indigenous people of that land”, he told Al Jazeera. It is believed that you will displaced people, but that is a colonizer mentality.

Trump had previously reaffirmed his call for permanently displacing the entire Palestinian population in the statement that Palestinians “would love” to leave Gaza if given the chance.

For his proposed plan, which some claim would be ethnic cleansing, the US president has faced criticism from Arab states and human rights organizations.

Trump later said that the US would “take over Gaza” once it is depopulated and “own it,” and he made a second During a press conference with Netanyahu later on Tuesday, Trump said he would “take it over” and “own it.”

Protesters denounced Israeli atrocities in Gaza]Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

“The architect of a true genocide”

At the White House protest, Sofia Ahmad, a 24-year-old Iranian American demonstrator, struggled to find the words to describe Trump’s call for mass displacement in Gaza.

“The fact that he is the president is disgusting”, Ahmad told Al Jazeera.

“He’s a fascist, a psychopath, a narcissist. But it’s still important to show up here”.

She emphasized that Netanyahu is a fugitive from justice who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, including using starvation as a means of combat.

“DC is full of war criminals, but the worst of the worst is here – a man who is the architect of a literal genocide”, Ahmad said.

Israel’s US-backed offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 62, 000 Palestinians, which includes thousands of missing people who are presumed dead, since October 2023.

Leading human rights organizations and UN experts have accused Israel of attempting to annihilate Palestinians as a people.

Mohammad Qasim, an organiser with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said protesters are outraged that Netanyahu, “the war criminal”, has been invited to Washington, DC.

We’re taking to the streets to protest, Qasim said, “to make it clear that he’s not welcome in our city.”

Trump’s “there is no way” can force Palestinians out of Gaza, he added.

Over the past 15 to 16 months, the Palestinians in Gaza have shown a lot of resolve, steadfastness, and love for the land, he said. Donald Trump is utterly mistaken if he believes that our people will surrender and obliterate their land.

Protesters projected a “wanted” poster with Netanyahu’s face on a hotel overlooking the White House.

Additionally, they defame the US’s support for Israel by waving Palestinian flags and holding signs.

“Pay for housing, not genocide”, one poster read.

As activists shackling and dragging her as she donned the Statue of Liberty occupied the middle of the crowd.

“Golden opportunity”

In the same neighborhood as the protest, Palestinian rights activists held a press conference earlier that day to denounce Netanyahu’s visit.

Trump should not allow Netanyahu to manipulate him, according to Osama Abuirshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine. He also urged the US president to alter the dynamics of the US-Israeli relationship.

According to Abuirshaid, former US President Joe Biden showed him “the middle finger” after letting him disrespect him.

Trump is presenting the world with a unique opportunity to show who the boss is and how he is ushering in a new era, Abuirshaid told reporters.

“It doesn’t mean that we agree with everything, with all of his policies, but we agree with one thing – America should be respected again”, he said.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the antiwar group Code Pink, also said that Trump had an “incredible opportunity” to pursue peace in the Middle East.

“We want to stop sending weapons to Israel, but we want to go the way of the warmongers,” Benjamin said, “or will he listen to the voices of the people in the United States,” he said.

She argued that Netanyahu should not be denied admission to the White House and face punishment for crimes against Palestinians.

“Netanyahu does not belong on the streets of Washington, DC. He belongs in The Hague”, Benjamin said.

Pushing to appeal to Trump

Some speakers at the news conference reacted more amiably to Trump’s pledge to pursue an “America First” agenda and bring peace to the Middle East.

The supporters claimed that saying “no” to Netanyahu’s demands for more weapons and support for Israel would have to do with prioritizing US interests.

Trump has been given credit for facilitating the fragile Gaza ceasefire, which resulted in more than a million people receiving humanitarian aid in the area.

Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), responded to questions about the apparent conciliatory tone. He claimed that this does not represent a change in position.

He noted that his group is in “total disagreement” with Trump over some policies, including the president’s anti-immigration push.

“But it doesn’t mean that he’s just an enemy of us and the people”, Awad said.

We think that the position he is holding has the potential to bring peace to the area, peace that is based on equality, liberty, and respect for all. We appeal to him because he is capable and committed to doing it.

Awad later released a statement denouncing Trump’s demand to relocate Palestinians to Gaza.

“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute non-starter”, he said.

Source: Aljazeera

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