Protest in SF Against Netanyahu's Visit

As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's limousine drove up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, he was confronted by demonstrators demanding “Let Gaza Live – Free Palestine!” Refusing Secret Service demands to leave Pennsylvania Avenue and move out of sight, protestors held their ground.

The demonstrations started at 10 a.m. this morning in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., and continued throughout the day in other U.S. cities in response to the meeting between Netanyahu and President Obama.

Demonstrators demanded a total end of the siege of Gaza and the end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Israel receives about $15 million each day from the United States, and is the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid.

Actions took place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Syracuse, N.Y. and Charlotte, N.C.

There is a growing chorus of international outrage against the blockade of Gaza, which has prevented the Palestinian people from rebuilding their homes and lives following Israel’s murderous bombing war that took the lives of 1,400 Palestinians and wounded thousands of others in December 2008-January 2009.

“At the White House today, President Obama patted Netanyahu on the back for his last minute announcement that certain consumer goods might be let into Gaza. This was just a propaganda ploy to continue rather than end the blockade. Israel still bans all items that are needed for building and reconstruction. Israel’s policy of collective punishment against a whole people constitutes a crime against humanity. We are demanding the cessation of all U.S. aid to Israel,” said the ANSWER Coalition in a statement delivered at the White House protest today.