Thousands join DC pro-Palestine rally to demand ceasefire: LIVE
Thousands of people joined a pro-Palestine rally in Washington DC calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and the end of US aid to Israel on Saturday.
Aerial footage from Freedom Plaza showed a massive crowd listening to a number of speakers.
Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza which has been labelled a terror organisation by the US and the EU, launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people.
In the following counterattacks by Israel, at least 9,257 people in Gaza have been killed, with more than 23,516 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry has said.
President Joe Biden, who came out strongly in support of Israel after the vicious attack by Hamas, called for a humanitarian “pause” on Wednesday but didn’t argue for a ceasefire.
The “National March on Washington: Free Palestine” is a chance for demonstrators to do just that.
The rally began at 2pm just to the east of the White House at the Western end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Key Points
VIDEO: Thousands rally in DC in support of Palestinians and ceasefire in Gaza
Rally speaker accuses Biden of ‘dehumanizing’ Palestinians
‘People are mortified by the carnage’
Head of DC Jewish Community Center asks members to ‘resist the urge to counter-protest'
VIDEO: Thousands expected to attend pro-Palestine march in DC for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war
Saturday 4 November 2023 12:37 , Gustaf Kilander
Pro-Palestine protest march row explained as thousands set to protest again in London
Saturday 4 November 2023 12:39 , Joe Middleton, Athena Stavrou
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have attended marches across the UK since Israel renewed its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks.
Thousands are expected to march in London today, as a row has broken out over future demonstrations potentially disrupting Remembrance Day events and further action expected in the coming weeks.
Activists will descend on the capital for the third successive weekend calling for an immediate ceasefire due to Israel’s continued bombardment on the Gaza strip in retaliation for Hamas’s terror attack on Israel on 7 October.
Previous protests, and counter demonstrations, have come under scrutiny, with a small number of campaigners arrested for alleged hate crimes.
And on Friday, a row erupted when Rishi Sunak backed a crackdown on what he condemned as “provocative and disrespectful” pro-Palestine marches due to be held on Armistice Day.
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‘People are mortified by the carnage’
Saturday 4 November 2023 13:01 , Gustaf Kilander
The ANSWER Coalition is one of the organizers of the march – its executive director Brian Becker told The Washington Post that “people are mortified by the carnage” in Gaza.
“And they are equally mortified that the Biden administration has insisted that there not be a cease-fire,” he added.
This comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers on Saturday to discuss options to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Mr Blinken’s options are limited by Israel’s insistence that no ceasefire or humanitarian pause can take place until all hostages taken by Hamas have been released.
Head of DC Jewish Community Center asks members to ‘resist the urge to counter-protest'
Saturday 4 November 2023 13:04 , Gustaf Kilander
The chief executive officer of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, Jen Zwilling, emailed the centre’s members on Friday to ask them ahead of the rally on Saturday to “resist the urge to counter-protest and/or engage” with the pro-Palestine demonstrators.
She noted that that may “increase the potential for violence or antisemitic rhetoric,” according to The Washington Post.
Rally part of effort to push Biden admin to call for ceasefire
Saturday 4 November 2023 13:17 , Gustaf Kilander
The “Free Palestine” rally in Washington DC on Saturday is part of an effort to push the Biden administration to cease its deliveries of aid to Israel and to back a ceasefire.
Last month, Mr Biden announced an aid package to Israel – the largest recipient of US aid – worth $14bn. As of last year, Israel had received about $150bn, a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service stated.
A Quinnipiac University poll published on Thursday shows that about half of all registered voters in the US back Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas attack.
Ahead of entering Gaza with ground troops, Israel destroyed large parts of Gaza with airstrikes, so far killing more than 9,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The lowest approval rating for Israel’s actions is seen among Democrats – 33 per cent, voters between 18 and 34 years old – 32 per cent, and Black voters – 29 per cent, according to Quinnipiac.
Fifty-one per cent of Americans back sending more military support to Israel and 71 per cent back sending humanitarian aid to Gaza to help Palestinian civilians.
Planned speakers include writer human rights lawyer
Saturday 4 November 2023 13:20 , Gustaf Kilander
Organizers have said that ANSWER Coalition Executive Director Brian Becker is set to speak at the rally, as is human rights attorney and Rutgers University associated professor Noura Erakat, Palestinian writer and advocate Mohammed El-Kurd, as well as members of large US Muslim and Arab groups, The Washington Post notes.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing as Blinken seeks support for a temporary cease-fire
Saturday 4 November 2023 13:38 , AP
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers Saturday to find ways to ease Gaza’s growing humanitarian crisis. His mission is complicated by Israel’s insistence there can be no temporary cease-fire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.
In unusually blunt language, the United Nations chief said conditions in Gaza are now “horrific” as fighting continues to escalate. With food, water and the fuel needed for generators that power hospitals and other facilities running out, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
“An entire population is traumatized, nowhere is safe,” he said Friday.
He said he had not forgotten the slaughter of civilians at the hands of Hamas militants when they launched their attack on Israel almost a month ago, but said civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. He also said civilians must not be used as human shields, and called upon Hamas to release all of the roughly 240 hostages it has.
Israeli forces have encircled Gaza City, and it has been urging civilians to head south to avoid getting caught up in the fighting as the ground war intensifies.
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Oxford Circus at standstill as hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters stage sit-in over ceasefire
Saturday 4 November 2023 14:00 , Barney Davis, Maira Butt
Oxford Circus has come to a standstill after hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in for Palestine.
A huge crowd descended on the central London area at midday on Saturday, with protesters marching to the juction with Regent Street before blocking the road.
Palestinian flags were held aloft as others let off flares, played bongos and lead chants of “Ceasefire now”, “from the River to the Sea” and “Israel is a terror state”.
The event was organised by The Free Palestine Coalition which includes Black Lives Matter UK, Sisters Uncut and Black Jewish Alliance, who said there would be “no business as usual while Britain is supporting a genocide that has killed 9,000 people”. Organisers encouraged bystanders to join: “Don’t just stand there, sit down with us!”
The Metropolitan Police said officers are responding to the incident. It said: “This behaviour clearly impacts on London’s ability to function normally and we are working quickly to reopen the road.” Dozens of officers cordoned off the group and countless buses were stopped in their tracks with no room to turn around due to the sit-in.
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Israel's military and Hezbollah exchange fire along the tense Lebanon-Israel border
Saturday 4 November 2023 14:30 , Abby Sewell, Bassem Mroue
Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes along the border with Lebanon Saturday as the militant Hezbollah group attacked several Israeli army posts, including one that was struck with two large rockets.
The escalation came a day after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his powerful group is already engaged in unprecedented fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border. He threatened a further escalation as Israel’s war in Gaza with Hamas, Hezbollah’s ally, nears the one-month mark.
Hezbollah is prepared for all options, Nasrallah declared, “and we can resort to them at any time.”
Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters attacked at least six Israeli posts along the border, saying “suitable rockets and weapons” were used. It added that “direct hits were scored and technical equipment was destroyed.”
The Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV network reported that Hezbollah fired Saturday two Burkan rockets, which carry heavy warheads, at an Israeli post known in Lebanon as Jal al-Allam. A Lebanese security official confirmed the report of Burkan rockets being used for the first time.
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Blinken tries to cajole wary Arabs on support for post-conflict Gaza as Israel's war intensifies
Saturday 4 November 2023 15:00 , Matthew Lee
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped up his frantic diplomacy on Saturday, trying to build support for planning a post-conflict future for Gaza as he continued his second urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly snubbed Blinken’s blunt warning that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal with the Palestinians unless it eases the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he met in Amman with senior Jordanian and other Arab officials, who remain angry and deeply suspicious of Israel as it intensifies its war against Hamas.
Blinken met first with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically ravaged country is home to Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed force hostile to Israel.
The U.S. has grave concerns that Hezbollah, which has already stepped up rocket and cross-border attacks on northern Israel, will take a more active role in the conflict.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave his first major speech since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that sparked the war, but did not forecast his group’s greater involvement despite professing it was not perturbed by U.S. attempts to deter it.
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Israel's fortified underground blood bank processes unprecedented amounts as troops move into Gaza
Saturday 4 November 2023 15:30 , Alon Bernstein, Sam Mednick
Hours after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, the country’s new fortified, subterranean blood bank kicked into action. Staffers moved equipment into the underground bunker and started saving lives.
The Marcus National Blood Services Center in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, had been scheduled to open within days, but with more than 1,400 people in Israel killed since the Hamas raids — most killed during the initial attack — the timeline changed.
“It became very clear we needed to move with the war plans because this was exactly the moment, the event it was built for,” said Dr. Eilat Shinar, director of the national blood services division of Magen David Adom — Israel’s medical emergency, disaster, ambulance and blood service.
Nestled some 15 meters (50 feet) underground at its lowest level, the $135-million, 6-story, state-of-the-art facility is protected from rockets, missiles, chemical attacks and earthquakes, ensuring blood processing can continue when it’s needed most.
Shiner said the center provided tens of thousands of units of blood in the days that followed the Hamas attacks.
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UN officials says the average Gazan is living on two pieces of bread a day, and people need water
Saturday 4 November 2023 16:00 , AP
The average Gazan is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the U.N. had stockpiled in the region, yet the main refrain now being heard in the street is “Water, water,” the Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday.
Thomas White, who said he traveled “the length and breadth of Gaza in the last few weeks,” described the place as a “scene of death and destruction.” No place is safe now, he said, and people fear for their lives, their future and their ability to feed their families.
The Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, is supporting about 89 bakeries across Gaza, aiming to get bread to 1.7 million people, White told diplomats from the U.N.’s 193 member nations in a video briefing from Gaza.
But, he said, “now people are beyond looking for bread. It’s looking for water.”
U.N. deputy Mideast coordinator Lynn Hastings, who is also the humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said only one of three water supply lines from Israel is operational.
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Expelling Israel’s ambassador will not help Irish citizens in Gaza, Martin says
Saturday 4 November 2023 16:30 , David Young
Expelling Israel’s ambassador to Ireland would undermine efforts to get Irish citizens out of Gaza, the country’s deputy premier has insisted.
Micheal Martin was responding to a call from Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Fein, which claims Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza has rendered ambassador Dana Erlich’s position in Dublin untenable.
Sinn Fein had previously abstained in several votes at local council level on calls for Ambassador Erlich to be expelled. However, the party shifted position on Thursday, insisting it was no longer tenable for the ambassador to remain in Ireland.
Tanaiste Mr Martin branded Sinn Fein’s call “knee jerk” and “populist”.
“Logic escapes me as to how we are to meaningfully seek to get our Irish citizens out of Gaza if one of the countries that we’re working with, we break off relations with,” he said.
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Blinken to meet with Arab leaders on Gaza conflict as Israel war intensifies
Saturday 4 November 2023 17:00 , Matthew Lee
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped up his frantic diplomacy on Saturday, trying to build support for planning a post-conflict future for Gaza as he continued his second urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly snubbed Blinken’s blunt warning that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal with the Palestinians unless it eases the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he met in Amman with senior Jordanian and other Arab officials, who remain angry and deeply suspicious of Israel as it intensifies its war against Hamas.
Blinken met first with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically ravaged country is home to Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed force hostile to Israel.
The U.S. has grave concerns that Hezbollah, which has already stepped up rocket and cross-border attacks on northern Israel, will take a more active role in the conflict.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave his first major speech since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that sparked the war, but did not forecast his group’s greater involvement despite professing it was not perturbed by U.S. attempts to deter it.
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Israeli rescuers release aftermath video of Hamas attack on music festival, adding chilling details
Saturday 4 November 2023 17:30 , AP
An Israeli security officer could be seen drawing a pistol, his hand shaking violently. Hours earlier that day, Oct. 7, these desolate fields in southern Israel had teemed with thousands of young people dancing to electronic music under the night sky and camping out in tents or mobile homes. Now, it was silent.
The officer peered quickly into one of the trailers. “Who’s inside?” he called out in Hebrew, his voice pained. It was empty. He moved onto the rest of the festival grounds, searching for signs of life following the Hamas rampage through the outdoor concert. “It’s the police!” he yelled again and again, his voice rising in panic. “Are there any wounded?”
Silence. The officer moved to the outdoor bar. Hovering over the CocaâCola coolers and beer-tap levers, he shouted louder, “Wounded?” His camera tilted down.
There were more than a dozen bodies — some encrusted with dirt, others riddled with bullets. They were strewn around the bar and piled on top of each other, hair matted with dark blood, limbs twisted at an unnatural angle. The short shorts with fringe, cut-off T-shirts and stylish white sneakers were reminders that these mangled bodies had been young, carefree partygoers just before dawn.
The graphic and harrowing scene unfolds in a roughly 100-second clip of police body camera footage released Saturday by a first-responder team in southern Israel. It was a chilling depiction of what rescuers encountered in the wake of Hamas’ unprecedented attack on the sleepy Israeli farm communities.
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Three arrested as pro-Palestine protesters march through London after bringing Oxford Circus to a standstill
Saturday 4 November 2023 18:00 , Barney Davis, Maira Butt
Oxford Circus came to a standstill after hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in for Palestine.
A huge crowd descended on the central London area at midday on Saturday, with protesters marching to the juction with Regent Street before blocking the road.
Palestinian flags were held aloft as others let off flares, played bongos and lead chants of “Ceasefire now”, “from the River to the Sea” and “Israel is a terror state”.
The event was organised by The Free Palestine Coalition which includes Black Lives Matter UK, Sisters Uncut and Black Jewish Alliance, who said there would be “no business as usual while Britain is supporting a genocide that has killed 9,000 people”. Organisers encouraged bystanders to join: “Don’t just stand there, sit down with us!”
The Metropolitan Police said officers are responding to the incident. It said: “This behaviour clearly impacts on London’s ability to function normally and we are working quickly to reopen the road.” Dozens of officers cordoned off the group and countless buses were stopped in their tracks with no room to turn around due to the sit-in.
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Jewish-Arab school in Israel wins global prize for overcoming adversity
Saturday 4 November 2023 18:30 , Eleanor Busby
A bilingual and integrated Jewish-Arab school in Israel has won a global education prize in recognition of its efforts to heal longstanding divisions.
The Max Rayne Hand In Hand Jerusalem School – where Jewish and Arab students learn together in both Hebrew and Arabic – has been crowned winner of the T4 Education World’s Best School prize for overcoming adversity.
It comes as thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of Israelis have been taken hostage by the militants in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war broke out nearly a month ago.
The leadership of the Max Rayne Hand in Hand Jerusalem School reflects the diversity of its student body, with an Arab elementary school principal and a Jewish secondary school principal.
There is also equal representation of Jewish and Arab staff, who work closely together to create an inclusive learning environment for all the students.
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Rally live-streamed on YouTube
Saturday 4 November 2023 18:35 , Gustaf Kilander
The rally is being live-streamed by BreakThrough News.
The outlet and its seven associate channels say they are “a network of independent media projects from across the globe that collaborate, working collectively to uplift people’s voices and stories”.
The Daily Beast reported in May that “BreakThrough News and a raft of other online outlets” have been “pushing Moscow and Beijing’s favorite narratives”.
Saturday 4 November 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The leftwing group called the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition has said that they will “deliver coffins draped in Palestinian flags to the White House to send a powerful message to the Biden administration”.
They also argue that Israel has instituted “apartheid”.
🚨Organizers in DC getting ready to march! The National March to Free Palestine begins at Freedom Plaza at 2pm.
🇵🇸We will deliver coffins draped in Palestinian flags to the White House to send a powerful message to the Biden administration: END ALL US AID TO APARTHEID ISRAEL! pic.twitter.com/lhBYKBSOyN— ANSWER Coalition (@answercoalition) November 4, 2023
Saturday 4 November 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Rally speaker accuses Biden of ‘dehumanizing’ Palestinians
Saturday 4 November 2023 19:39 , John Bowden
A speaker with the Palestinian American Community Network has accused President Joe Biden of “dehumanizing” Palestinians.
She also announced upcoming protests at the headquarters of the RNC and DNC.
Massive crowd turns out for DC pro-Palestine rally
Saturday 4 November 2023 19:47 , Gustaf Kilander
Now: Pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/QiIgtV4yqq
— Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) November 4, 2023
Organizers began prepping for 2pm rally before sunrise
Saturday 4 November 2023 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander
“Volunteers already hard at work getting ready for today’s massive National March on Washington for Palestine!” the ANSWER Coalition wrote on X at 6.26am.
Volunteers already hard at work getting ready for today’s massive National March on Washington for Palestine!#March4Palestine pic.twitter.com/8kEIlu4vFl
— ANSWER Coalition (@answercoalition) November 4, 2023
MSNBC covers DC rally
Saturday 4 November 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander
VIDEO: Thousands rally in DC in support of Palestinians and ceasefire in Gaza
Saturday 4 November 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Blinken walks a fine line on ceasefire as thousands attend DC pro-Palestine event
Saturday 4 November 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Thousands of people joined a rally in downtown Washington DC to call for a ceasefire amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempts to walk a fine line between the demands of Israel and the region’s Arab countries.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Mr Blinken’s Qatari counterpart, told the top US diplomat at a meeting in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on Saturday that mediation to get Hamas to release hostages is jeopardised by the Israeli bombing, the foreign ministry of Qatar said.
Mr Blinken met with the foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, in addition to the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Mr Blinken is on a trip to several countries throughout the Middle East following his third visit to Israel in the four weeks that have passed since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza that has been labelled as a terror organisation by the US and the EU, which led to the brutal killing of more than 1,400 people.
More than 9,000 people have died in Gaza, following Israeli counterattacks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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Blinken reitirates Biden administration not in favour of a ceasefire
Saturday 4 November 2023 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Antony Blinken yet again noted that the Biden administration is not in favour of a ceasefire at this time, even as it’s been reported that US officials worked behind the scenes to urge Israel to restrain its response and as President Joe Biden has called for the protection of civilians.
The secretary of state instead repeated his call for “humanitarian pauses” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his government, which is partially made up of some of Israel’s most far-right parties, opposes any ceasefire unless Hamas lets go all of the hostages they hold. Mr Netanyahu said Israel would continue to block fuel from entering Gaza.
The leaders of Egypt and Jordan, the latter of which has a large Palestinian population, sharply criticised the Israel counteroffensive following the meetings with Mr Blinken, who noted that there are differences with the Arab leaders in their views of the conflict, ahead of his visit to Turkey.
Thousands rally in DC in support of Palestinians and ceasefire in Gaza
00:00 , Natalie Chinn
Thousands of protesters joined a pro-Palestine rally in Washington DC on 4 November to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Benjamin Alvarez captured an overhead view of the growing rally from a nearby clocktower. Demonstrators waved flags, chanted, and listened to speeches from community members.
The rally comes after Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected calls for a temporary ceasefire unless all hostages are released by Hamas.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 9,257 people in Gaza have been killed, with more than 23,516 wounded, since Israel began its counterattacks following the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas.
Hamas blocking foreign nationals from leaving Gaza
01:00 , Gustaf Kilander
A US official has told CNN that Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from leaving Gaza until they receive guarantees from Israel that ambulances from the Strip can get to the border with Egypt in Rafah.
Hamas made the demand following Israel’s acknowledgement on Friday that it attacked an ambulance near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest medical facility in the Strip.
The ambulance was part of a convoy moving towards Rafah, the last open access point to exit Gaza. Israel argued that Hamas was using the ambulance, which has been rejected by the Gaza Health Ministry – which is controlled by Hamas.
An official on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing has said that 700 foreign nationals were expected to leave Gaza on Saturday, CNN reported.
On Friday, reports emerged that early attempts to get foreign nationals across the border were hampered partly by Hamas putting its own fighters on a list of injured Palestinians who were set to leave via Rafah, a US official said.
UN secretary general clashes with Israeli UN ambassador
02:00 , Gustaf Kilander
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by the attack on the ambulance. He called for a ceasefire and for the hostages to be released.
Gilad Erdan, the Israeli UN ambassador, said Mr Guterres has been commenting on the situation “without even bothering to ask” about the context in which the strike occurred.
“You completely ignore the fact that Hamas intentionally exploits ambulances for terror,” Mr Erdan wrote on X.
Turkey recalls ambassador to Israel citing ‘humanitarian tragedy'
04:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel for “consultations” citing the “humanitarian tragedy” in the Strip and the continuation of the airstrikes.
A number of other countries, such as Honduras, Colombia, Chile, and Bahrain, have also called back their top diplomats in the country.
Three people were arrested at anti-government protests in Jerusalem on Saturday as demonstrators called on Mr Netanyahu to resign following his failure to prevent the 7 October attack.
Thousands gather for pro-Palestine rally in Washington, DC
07:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Massive pro-Palestinian protests took place all over the world on Saturday, including in London and in Washington.
A speaker with the Palestinian American Community Network accused President Joe Biden of “dehumanising” Palestinians.
She also announced upcoming protests at the headquarters of the RNC and DNC.
One of the organisers, the leftwing group called the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, has said that they will “deliver coffins draped in Palestinian flags to the White House to send a powerful message to the Biden administration”.
They also argue that Israel has instituted “apartheid”.
Its executive director Brian Becker told The Washington Post that “people are mortified by the carnage” in Gaza.
“And they are equally mortified that the Biden administration has insisted that there not be a cease-fire,” he added.
CEO of Jewish Community Center calls on members to ‘resist the urge to counter-protest'
09:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The chief executive officer of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, Jen Zwilling, emailed the centre’s members on Friday to ask them ahead of the rally on Saturday to “resist the urge to counter-protest and/or engage” with the pro-Palestine demonstrators.
She noted that that may “increase the potential for violence or antisemitic rhetoric,” according to The Washington Post.
Approval of Israel’s actions lower among Democrats, poll shows
11:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The “Free Palestine” rally in Washington DC on Saturday was part of an effort to push the Biden administration to cease its deliveries of aid to Israel and to back a ceasefire.
Last month, Mr Biden announced an aid package to Israel – the largest recipient of US aid – worth $14bn. As of last year, Israel had received about $150bn, a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service stated.
A Quinnipiac University poll published on Thursday shows that about half of all registered voters in the US back Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas attack.
The lowest approval rating for Israel’s actions is seen among Democrats – 33 per cent, voters between 18 and 34 years old – 32 per cent, and Black voters – 29 per cent, according to Quinnipiac.
Fifty-one per cent of Americans back sending more military support to Israel and 71 per cent back sending humanitarian aid to Gaza to help Palestinian civilians.
Netanyahu says no Gaza ceasefire until hostages released – as he rejects US calls for humanitarian pause
13:00 , Bel Trew, Chris Stevenson
Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against growing pressure from the US for a humanitarian pause in its war on Hamas to protect civilians and get more aid into Gaza, saying there will be no temporary ceasefire until all hostages are released.
Flying into Tel Aviv on Friday, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, sought to urge the Israeli prime minister to let-up the military offensive, at least for a time. However, Mr Netanyahu said that Israel will continue “with full force” unless Hamas releases more than 240 hostages.
It comes as an ambulance was struck outside Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, in Gaza City. The health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said that it was part of a convoy that was seeking to evacuate the wounded from northern Gaza to the south and that “several citizens were killed and dozens wounded”.
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Blinken walks a fine line on ceasefire as thousands attend DC pro-Palestine event
15:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Thousands of people joined a rally in downtown Washington DC to call for a ceasefire amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempts to walk a fine line between the demands of Israel and the region’s Arab countries.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Mr Blinken’s Qatari counterpart, told the top US diplomat at a meeting in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on Saturday that mediation to get Hamas to release hostages is jeopardised by the Israeli bombing, the foreign ministry of Qatar said.
Mr Blinken met with the foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, in addition to the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Mr Blinken is on a trip to several countries throughout the Middle East following his third visit to Israel in the four weeks that have passed since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza that has been labelled as a terror organisation by the US and the EU, which led to the brutal killing of more than 1,400 people.
More than 9,000 people have died in Gaza, following Israeli counterattacks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
