Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at a rally in downtown Bloomington on Saturday called on the Biden administration to end U.S. support for Israel.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Monroe County courthouse for the peaceful demonstration. Several dozen participants later marched down Kirkwood Ave. toward Indiana University and waved signs reading “Stop The Killing” and “Palestinian Lives Matter”.
At the courthouse, speakers drew parallels between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and racial injustice in the United States and called for solidarity. Others condemned their government’s military and diplomatic support for Israel.
Protesters marched down Kirkwood Avenue toward Indiana University. pic.twitter.com/ZwaeNtQuQD — George Hale جورج هيل (@georgehale) May 23, 2021
“Americans should care about this because we are the ones that made the bombs that fell on Gaza. We are the ones that made the bombs that killed Palestinian children,” said Aaron Comforty, the organizer of Saturday’s rally.
The Bloomington demonstration was one of dozens taking place around the world to express solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem after 11 days of violence that left more than 200 people dead, most of them in Gaza.
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In New York, the U.N. Security Council welcomed a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers and called for full adherence to the cessation of hostilities.
Saturday’s statement was approved by all 15 members of the council. It said the council “mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence” and “stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza.”
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, had earlier blocked four proposed council statements calling for a cease-fire that all other members supported, saying it could interfere with Biden administration efforts to end the hostilities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
