by William Hughes

Washington, D.C. “Occupation is a crime,” said Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition. He spoke, under a cloudy sky, at a spirited rally in front of the heavily fortified Israeli Embassy, in this capital city, on Saturday afternoon, June 6, 2009. Mr. Becker continued: “That’s why we’re here. The people of the United States are spending through our tax dollars, $15 million a day for a criminal occupation. Instead of killing poor people in Gaza and in the West Bank, let’s use that money for education, and housing and health care to let children live, not only in Gaza, but right here in Washington, D.C.”

Another speaker was Mahdi Bray, who is the executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation (MAS Freedom). Mr. Bray stated: “As American citizens not another tax dollar do we want to go to this type of oppression towards women and children. This must end. We have the capacity right here...in this nation to end the siege of Gaza. We can do that. We must end the siege of Gaza...On July 4, 2009, in New York City...We will be taking a caravan from New York to Egypt...to Gaza. We are saying ‘let Gaza live!’ We don’t care what it takes. We are going to bring food...medicine...and supplies [to Gaza] because it is, indeed, the right thing to do.”

The rally, which also included a march from the Israeli Embassy of about 300 activists, down Van Ness Street and along Connecticut Avenue, was sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society (MAS), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), National Council of Arab Americans (NCA), and Al-Awda and the Palestinian Right to Re-Turn Coalition, among others.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard is a highly respected Civil Rights attorney, who specializes in Constitutional Law, in the Washington, D.C. area. She also spoke at the rally. Ms. Verheyden-Hilliard said: “We stand with the people of Palestine. We fight with the people of Palestine. We know that they will resist. They will never give in. And, we will always be with them. And, we will win. They will win...We and the people of Palestine will overcome and succeed. Free, free Palestine!”

“We can not allow our President [Barack Obama] to back down from the Israeli lobby or from the Zionist pressure that undoubtedly will come against him,” argued Ibrahim Ramey in his remarks to the crowd. He is an executive with MAS Freedom. Mr. Ramey explained: “The President did say that the occupation [of Gaza] is immoral, is unconscionable and that the current situation of the people of Palestine cannot be tolerated.”

I also talked with some of the other Human Rights activists at the rally. Ray Gordon told me: “No more money for Israel. It’s a disgrace. We give these people $3 billion a year and they disrespect us. They spy on us. They lie to us and it has to end. Israel is not our friend. We’re suckers for Israel and it needs to stop.” Eric Anderson underscored that what is going on today in Israeli-Occupied Gaza is not only unfair, but it adds up to “genocide...and a war crime.” David Barrows insisted that “no one group should be favored over another. That’s got to stop in this world.”

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Editor’s Note: William Hughes is an author, videographer and political commentator. His two videos on this rally for Human Rights in Israeli- Occupied Gaza can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjV3JrLmAqY&feature=channel_page and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP96ZAB-UfU&feature=channel

Published, the above article and the photo in the "Washington Report on Middle East Affairs" magazine, August, 2009 issue.

"End the Siege of Gaza Rally" by William Hughes also Published at Portland IMC: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2009/07/392881.shtml