Under dark skies and steady rain, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at the port of Tacoma, Washington, to block a military supply ship they say is carrying weapons from the United States. United towards Israel.
There, they fear the weapons on board could be used in Israel’s ongoing campaign against the Gaza Strip, where more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed.
“We want a ceasefire now. We want people to stop getting murdered now. We want real scrutiny and action on U.S. foreign policy and U.S. funding for Israel,” said Wassim Hage, one of the protesters at the Tacoma rally.
Hage works as a case manager and community outreach coordinator with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), the advocacy group that organized the protests.
He said a confidential source informed AROC that the ship would be loaded with weapons and military equipment and sent to Israel, as it continues its military offensive in Gaza.
Al Jazeera could not immediately confirm the allegation. In an email to the publication, Jeff Jurgensen, a Pentagon spokesperson, said the ship was indeed used to support the “movement of U.S. military cargo.”
But he refused to provide further information. “Due to operational security, the (U.S. Department of Defense) is not providing further transportation details, movements, or information regarding cargo embarked on these vessels,” he wrote.
Second protest for the ship
In Tacoma, the ship, called Cape Orlando, faced protesters of all ages dressed in raincoats, down jackets and umbrellas marching past its dock.
They waved the Palestinian flag, held signs saying “Defend Gaza” and chanted slogans like “Free Palestine” and “Not another penny, not another penny, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” »
Protesters used bicycles and cars, with their hazard lights flashing, to block traffic around the port. Seven indigenous warriors in a ceremonial canoe also circled the nearby waters to blockade the ship.
Patricia Gonzalez, of the Puyallup Tribe’s Water Warriors Council, said she was motivated to take to the sea because she connected to the Palestinians’ history of violence and displacement.
Her ancestors, she explained, were forced to attend native boarding schools, institutions designed to extinguish indigenous cultures. The Canadian government and even Pope Francis have called schools instruments of “cultural genocide.”
Gonzalez said her community is still dealing with the intergenerational trauma of this story. “When it comes to genocide, we understand it completely,” she said.
“It really touches our hearts,” Gonzalez said. “Our ancestors experienced this and it affects us every day. And we would never wish that on any other nation.
Abby Brook, a Jew and anti-Zionist, helped organize Monday’s rally. His visits to Israel and the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights inspired his activism.
“When I was 18, I went to Palestine and saw first-hand the realities of occupation and settler colonialism. I saw the checkpoints, I saw and talked to people about their experience of displacement in the Nakba,” she said, using the term for the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948.
“When you see the reality that Palestinians experience on a daily basis, there is no doubt about what is happening,” she said. “And the reality that this is an apartheid state military occupation. »
She said a wide range of people attended the “block the boat” rally to stop the violence in Gaza. “People wanted the opportunity to literally put themselves in the path of the ongoing genocide.”
This is the second week in a row that the Cape Orlando has faced attempts to scuttle its voyage.
Last Friday, while the Cape Orlando was docked in Oakland, California, three protesters clung to the ship’s ladder, delaying its departure for several hours.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement that it ultimately removed the three protesters after they “allegedly trespassed” on the ship. They “are currently under investigation for potential violations of federal law.”
Other demonstrators “had crossed the fence surrounding the pier to which the Cape Orlando was moored”, added the coast guard, accusing some of having “tampered with the moorings”.
Hage said the outcry against the Cape Orlando and its alleged cargo sends a strong message to President Joe Biden, who is currently campaigning for re-election in 2024.
“We are currently seeing some of the largest anti-war protests since the (George W) Bush years, and this is setting up for a very competitive election,” Hage said, referring to a presidency that oversaw the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq. .
US military assistance to Israel
Biden recently called on Congress to provide more than $14 billion in aid to Israel, adding to the $3.8 billion the United States has already committed to providing for 2023.
The United States has been the largest provider of military assistance to Israel since the country’s founding in 1948. It funds approximately 16 percent of Israel’s defense budget.
Following the surprise attack on Israel on October 7, Biden also announced his intention to provide “additional military assistance, including munitions and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,” Israel’s missile defense system.
However, it is difficult to verify which weapons are transferred from the United States to Israel, according to Elias Yousif, a research analyst in the conventional defense program at the Stimson Center, a U.S.-based think tank.
He highlighted the lack of transparency on the part of the Biden administration.
“The United States, at least officially, has made very few statements detailing what is being transferred,” he said. “Unlike the war in Ukraine, where we have nice fact sheets produced by the State Department, there is no similar platform for us to examine arms transfers to Israel. »
That said, he believes there is a “very high” probability that US weapons will be used in Gaza. “Given the intensity of the fighting, I would say it is almost certain that American weapons are involved in the fighting in Gaza.”
Lack of supervision
Sarah Yager, director of the nonprofit Human Rights Watch in Washington, said her group was lobbying U.S. lawmakers to oversee military assistance to Israel.
“Right now, Congress’ primary job is to oversee arms sales,” Yager said. “So if they’re not asking questions about where these weapons are going and how they’re being used, then they’re not really doing their job.”
Human Rights Watch called on countries like the United States to suspend the transfer of weapons to Israel and Palestinian armed groups, “given the real risk that they will be used to commit serious abuses.”
While Human Rights Watch castigated Hamas for targeting civilians during its October 7 attack on Israel, it also accused Israel of inflicting “collective punishment” on the Palestinian people by dropping bombs on densely populated areas. populated areas and cutting off essential supplies like food and water.
He also noted Israel’s alleged use of white phosphorus, a toxic chemical that can burn in extreme temperatures and is illegal for use against civilians. Israel has denied using the chemical against civilians.
Yager said the United States has a responsibility to ensure its money and weapons are not used to harm civilians.
“I think the first step is for Congress and the Biden administration to reevaluate where the weapons are going and whether they are being used to commit violations of international law,” Yager said.
Despite their efforts, Hage said military personnel loaded the cargo onto the boat after dark Monday.
While saying it was unfortunate that they were unable to stop the cargo from entering the ship, Hage called the action a success because it delayed the ship for most of the day. He said a worker on the boat told activists he was moved by the protests and wanted to leave the ship.
“We delayed this ship for 12 hours and every day (that the cargo) is not used to bomb the Palestinians is a victory. »
