Washington, Jan 13 (EFE). – Thousands of people, including relatives of victims of bombings in the Gaza Strip, took to the streets of Washington on Saturday to demand a ceasefire in the conflict and an end to US support for Israel.
Waving Palestinian flags, handkerchiefs, and signs accusing President Joe Biden of funding “genocide,” the crowd gathered in downtown Washington’s Freedom Square, a few blocks from the White House.
For Nadaa, a Gaza native who immigrated to the US more than a decade ago to complete her university studies, each of the 100 days of fighting in her homeland has been a “nightmare.”
“We can hardly sleep or work; every day we wake up to a tragedy,” Nadaa, who asked that her last name not be used, told EFE.
“Every day a family member, a neighbor, a friend, a former co-worker, a colleague dies,” she added.
Since the start of the war, more than 23,000 people have died in the Palestinian enclave as a result of Israeli bombing, and more than 1.9 million people (85% of the population) have been displaced.
Nadaa has not been able to speak to her partner’s brothers for several days, who she says have been driven from their homes by Israeli bombing.
“We don’t know if they are alive or dead. It feels like there is a constant pressure deep in the chest,” she said.
Yasmeen El-Agha, a young woman of Palestinian descent who traveled from Chicago to speak out for her parents’ country, describes a similar situation.
“My family is one of the largest in Gaza and more than 120 of my relatives have died,” he said, “I am in contact with my relatives, and on days when they don’t have internet, my heart breaks because I don’t know if they are still alive.”
The Biden administration, which has positioned itself as one of Israel’s most important political and economic allies in this conflict, has “deeply” disappointed El-Agha, who decided to study law to advocate for the Palestinian cause.
“The administration is funding the genocide of the Palestinians (…) in my opinion, there is no way to recover from something like that, in any kind of government,” she stressed.
Dissatisfaction with Biden’s support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was evident at Saturday’s protest, with hundreds of signs calling the president “Joe Genocide.”
Tyler Resto, 27, told EFE that he voted for the president in 2020 but he does not plan to support him for a second term.
“I think a lot of people in my generation are confused. Biden has been an extreme disappointment to the American people,” he stressed.
Resto is not alone: several polls have shown that the Democrat has lost support among younger voters, who helped pave the way for his victory in 2020.
According to an NBC poll published in November, 42% of young people between 18 and 34 will support Biden in the next elections, while 46% would vote for former President Donald Trump (2017-2021). EFE
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