The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Donna Robert
Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched across from the White House Saturday, decrying what they see as U.S. hypocrisy in the Middle East and claiming images depicting Hamas’ terror attack on Israel were overblown.
Palestinian supporters marched, chanted, waved the region’s red, white, black and green flag, and carried signs condemning Israel’s attack on Gaza as a “war crime.” Another sign boldly declared that Palestinian blood is on Israel’s hands.
“Hey, Hey, Netanyahu, how many children did you kill today,” the Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters chanted, expressing their opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“From the River to the sea, Palestine will be free,” was another popular chant as demonstrators marched across Lafayette Park, which sits directly across from the White House.
The protesters were part of a series of demonstrations across the country and the globe in the wake of Hamas’ surprise terror attack in Israel, fueling the worst conflict in the region since 1973. Protesters also marched in New York, Pittsburgh, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
The demonstrations come after Israel ordered 1 million people to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion. Israel is also carrying out heavy bombardments across the Gaza Strip as more than 2 million Palestinians lost electricity as the territory came under full siege.
In Washington, the gathering appeared largely peaceful, with some protesters bringing out prayer mats to pray in the street.
Protesters who spoke with the Times also questioned the veracity of gruesome photos shared by the Israeli government in the aftermath of the Hamas attack.
Mr. Netanyahu this week shared a gruesome photo of a child’s bloodied bed, declaring, “Hamas is worse than ISIS.”
On Friday, the U.S. government released graphic images of dead children and civilians, saying they were killed by Hamas. One picture released on social media depicted a dead infant in a pool of blood and a charred body of a child.
But some protesters said those photos couldn’t be verified and were solely released to drum up support for its response to Hamas.
“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe the news reporting,” said Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian who lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. ”I don’t believe the news reporting.”
Mr. Rhaman dismissed the photos as “overblown” and quickly pointed to the death of 70 people, mostly women and children, in a recent Israeli airstrike.
Osama Avuceineh, a Palestinian living in Laurel, Maryland, also questioned the authenticity of the photos, saying he hadn’t seen any evidence confirming the photos.
Protesters split their ire between Mr. Netanyahu and President Biden. They blasted Mr. Biden as duplicitous because has not condemned Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip while making it unabashedly clear the U.S. stands with the Jewish state.
“It’s hypocrisy,” Mr. Rhaman said.
“The U.S. talks about how what happened in Israel is a human rights violation,” he continued. “It’s a double standard. Israel is committing a human rights violation, depriving people of water, food, and electricity.”
A woman, who only identified herself as K. from Philadelphia, was handing out doughnuts to protesters, saying that the protesters were fighting a “good fight.”
“Anyone who fights against colonization is fighting a good fight,” she said. “We support the decolonization of Palestine.”
