Palestinian Americans and their allies protesting in Irvine last weekend say they are not giving up and will continue conducting waves of demonstrations they say are having an impact. They say President Biden and the Democratic Party are feeling the pressure to rein in the Israeli military’s massacre of civilians in Gaza.
“There are 30,000 dead and counting, and now more than a million people are facing starvation,” said Mariam Tariq. She joined hundreds of protestors in Irvine at the corner of Jeffrey Rd. and Roosevelt Street. Demonstrators from Latino and Asian American communities participated.
Protest organizer Fatana Hakeem says demands for a ceasefire locally put the protesters and local governments on the right side of history. Some public officials in Irvine don’t see it that way.
“But I also think it’s important for this local body to prioritize matters that directly impact the residents of this jurisdiction on the topics that we can actually control,” Council member Tammy Kim said at a recent city council meeting.
Hakeem has no patience for those who say advocating for ceasefire resolutions is not a “local issue” or outside city jurisdictions. She points out that the Irvine City Council lit up the Civic Center clock tower in the colors of the Ukrainian Flag to support that country’s resistance to a Russian invasion. The Council also supports an Armenian Genocide Memorial at the Great Park. “We are asking for a resolution calling for the killing and the bombing to stop,” says Hakeem. “We are asking to put a stop to the massacre of women and children.
“Americans have to open their eyes. Don’t be a puppet. Many of us in Irvine are appalled by this genocide and how Irvine officials are conducting themselves.”
U.S. allies have condemned Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, and a recent Gallup poll shows U.S. support for Israel is slipping. President Biden’s approval rating for his performance in the conflict is down among Democrats. These polls were taken ahead of the passage of a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire. The U.S. has vetoed such resolutions in the past but abstained this time in a public rebuke of Israeli policy.
“All we can hope for is to believe in each other’s humanity and come together,” says Tariq. Her message to fellow Americans is to do their own research into the roots of the conflict. “Educate yourself and have some empathy for the people trapped in a structure of occupation and discrimination they have no control over.”
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Categories: Local News, Regional
What could help the situation tremendously would be a written statement here by the local Muslim Community at minimum declaring the Oct 7th Attack — which killed 1200 innocent people — to have been fundamentally against Islam (which means “Peace”).
On the national level (CAIR…) and except for an impressive number of Muslim Clerics in England on the international level, the Muslim Community has been unable to bring itself to make such a statement.
But thanks to the internet even a humble publication like the Fullerton Observer can be seen everywhere.
What would be the benefit? It would become much harder for Israel to justify its continued offensive in Gaza, if it became clear that even the Muslim Community does not condone the murder of Israelis and otherwise people who are Jewish.
Such a statement could change the world.
You must have loved the old white South African regime.
Ah David,
You’ve never really struck me as an ANC sort of a guy.
And then I find the argument tragic that after a 2000+ year history of being the victims of murder, mass murder and attempted genocides, the Jewish people OF ALL PEOPLES should be NOW “made an example of” for either “Apartheid” or even “Settler Colonialism” when WE ALL STAND ON STOLEN LAND and have NO DESIRE, MUCH LESS PLAN to give Southern California back to the Chumash people (or Georgia back to the Cherokees, or Florida back to the Seminoles, or even the Black Hills back to the Sioux).
Instead, to my ears the argument to lay the burden of these past colonial sins (which, again, WE HAVE NO PLAN OR DESIRE TO REPENT ON) on the Jewish people is just A NEW WAY to be _anti-Jewish_ without “sounding like Nazis” or let’s be honest, like most of _our grandparents_.
“Anti-semitism, it’s not just for the old …”
THAT ALL SAID … after 30,000 people killed in Gaza following the 1,200 or so Israelis killed on Oct 7th (approaching 30x the number of killed on Oct 7th!), it’s _really hard_ to justify the continuation of the killing. How would adding to more corpses to the pile of the dead help the situation?
So we have two traumatized peoples … who are going to have to find a way to recognize each other’s dignity / truths.
Continuing to kill won’t be particularly useful in bringing this about. However, a recognition of the humanity of the other (certainly by both sides) would be very useful at this time.