["Cease-fire is the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the
Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza,"
asserted Jewish Voice for Peace. ]
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‘NOT IN OUR NAME!’ HUNDREDS ARRESTED AT US CAPITOL AS JEWISH-LED
PROTEST DEMANDS GAZA CEASE-FIRE  
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Brett Wilkins
October 18, 2023
Common Dreams
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_ "Cease-fire is the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the
Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza,"
asserted Jewish Voice for Peace. _

Jewish Americans and allies are lined up after being arrested during
an October 18, 2023 protest calling for a cease-fire in Gaza at the
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., (Photo: Ariel Gold/X)

 

Hundreds of Jewish Americans and allies were arrested at the U.S.
Capitol on Wednesday during a protest demanding members of Congress
push Israel for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where nearly 3,500
Palestinians have been killed over 12 days of relentless Israeli
bombardment.

Thousands of protesters led by members of Jewish Voice for Peace
(JVP), IfNotNow, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), and
other groups rallied on the Capitol grounds and inside the building,
where hundreds of people took part in a sit-in.

Their chanted slogans—including "not in our name" and "cease-fire
now"—resounded thunderously under the Capitol Rotunda, while at
other times they clapped their hands and sang with solemn
determination in Hebrew.

"We're here to say: not in our names, and never again," JVP declared.
[[link removed]] "And we'll
continue our civil disobedience until Congress calls for a cease-fire
in Gaza, or until they force us to leave."

"Cease-fire is the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the
Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza,
unable to leave," the group continued. "In the past week, over 3,000
Palestinians, including 1,000 children, were murdered by Israeli and
U.S. bombs. Over 1 million people are displaced. We have the power to
stop this violence."

"What we know from past Israeli state atrocities against Palestinians
is that the bombs only stop once there is a sufficient mass outcry
from the international community," JVP added. "It's on us to build
that outcry—as fast as we possibly can."

Speaking outside the Capitol, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib
[[link removed]] (D-Mich.)—the only
Palestinian American in Congress—said that "the majority of
Americans are literally against oppression."

"They are," she insisted. "They are against occupation. They are
against human rights violations. If you just tell them the truth, they
will be on our side. So we have to speak the truth."

Tlaib had a message for President Joe Biden, who has declared
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"rock-solid and unwavering support" for Israel, which he visited
Wednesday and receives
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annual U.S. military aid.

"I want him to know, as a Palestinian American and also as someone of
the Muslim faith: I'm not gonna forget this," she vowed. "And I think
a lot of people are not gonna forget this."

Rep. Cori Bush [[link removed]] (D-Mo.),
who led a resolution
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Tlaib and 14 progressive co-sponsors calling on Biden to push for a
cease-fire, also spoke at the rally.

"We thank our Jewish community for being out here saying 'Never
Again'," she said.

Author and activist Naomi Klein
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[[link removed]] the
demonstrators that "it's crucial that we become huge, become
unignorable, and throw all our support behind this brave legislation."

JVP, IfNotNow, and peace activist Ariel Gold—who was at the
event—said hundreds of protesters were arrested.

Wednesday's protest and arrests followed a string
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Jewish-led peace demonstrations
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the nation, including two major rallies
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Washington, D.C. IfNotNow's website lists
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planned in cities around the country in the coming days.

"The Israeli military is preparing for a massive ground invasion of
Gaza. Israeli and American leaders are dehumanizing Palestinians with
vitriolic rhetoric that calls to mind the most hysterical days of...
[the] War on Terror," JVP said
[[link removed]] Wednesday.
"We know where this will lead: genocide."

"Many of us are mourning our Israeli and Palestinian friends and loved
ones," the group continued. "We are in pain and grief, trying to
process a week of horrific violence that has left so many that we know
injured, traumatized, kidnapped, or killed."

"But we refuse to let our grief be weaponized to justify the murder of
more Palestinians," JVP added. "As American Jews, we demand a
cease-fire now. No genocide in our name."

_Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

* Israel-Gaza War
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* Jewish Voice for Peace
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* Washington Protest
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* Ceasefire
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