Netanyahu and Trump "Jailed" in Berkeley

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar / Pro Bono Photo

(Berkeley, Feb 5) - Mouthing platitudes like "peace through strength" and "Golden age of peace in the Middle East" fugitive from international justice Benyamin Netanyahu is being harbored in the White House by convicted felon Donald Trump.

As Israel's US-enabled genocide of the Palestinian people continues in Gaza and the West Bank, Trump, even more supportive than Biden, if possible, of the Nazi agenda of Israel's extreme right, proposes expelling the Palestinian people from their homeland. Alternatively, many through the world have proposed expelling the Zionist settlers from Palestine, perhaps to Antarctica.

Much of the connection between Israel and the US derives from Israel's past as a mirror of US history. Rarely mentioned in polite circles, both the US and Israel are nations evolved from similar traditions of ethic cleansing and slaughter of native peoples.

Trump is dismantling what is left of US democracy, having literally sold it to Elon Musk for an as not yet known number of billions of dollars.

National peace organization Code Pink, led in San Francisco by Cynthia Papermaster, has provided us with an essential narrative. This narrative of Netanyahu and Trump jailed for war crimes, though presented as street theater, makes ever more real what justice requires. Indeed, it is already real that the International Criminal Court has ordered Netanyahu's arrest for the crime of genocide.

Code Pink activists gathered on the lawn next to Berkeley's City Hall. They assembled a "prison" of plastic tubing and black pipe insulation. Disguised as Netanyahu and Trump, Trump "kisses" Netanyahu's ring, prays at his feet, and illustrates their obscene relationship.

Code Pinkers then took turns reading a list of crimes. Wearing their Pink Police (War Crimes Division) uniforms, they then seized the "defendants", "hand cuffed" them and placed them in the "prison."

Participants included a Navy veteran who said that she would do whatever is necessary to prevent Trump and his thugs from destroying American democracy.

Former Berkeley City Council member Sheryl Davila spoke and distributed cards with instructions on what to do when ICE attempts to arrest you.

The action was timed to be visible to Berkeley High School students as classes ended for the day. Several enjoyed having their picture taken with the "imprisoned" war criminals.

See all high resolution photos here.