Please join Bozeman Friends of Palestine on Wednesday, August 13, from noon until 2pm for a demonstration in support of Gaza, opposing the assault on Gaza by Israel, which has resulted in over 1900 deaths of Palestinians, 500,000 refugees, 36,000 damaged homes that are now uninhabitable, half of the population without running water and many more with very little water. Israel has maintained a siege on Gaza, blocking the vast majority of life-sustaining imports and exports since 2006. It has also engaged in massive bombing campaigns regularly throughout this time (2012, 2008-9. . . .) through continual support of US weapons and funds (over $3 billion per year).
Bozeman Friends of Palestine will be standing at the corner of Rouse and Main in downtown Bozeman with our signs in support of Gaza in order to gather more support for Gaza from other Bozemanites and tourists, educate many passersby through conversations and free literature (hand-outs of magazine Washington Report on Middle East Affairs), and gather emails for further organization of Palestinian support.
While Gaza and Israel are in the midst of a ceasefire, which is scheduled to end before Wednesday, continuous demonstrations throughout the US in support of Gaza are important for several reasons, including:
- We are showing the Palestinians that people around the world care about their plight;
- We are sending the message to John Kerry and President Obama that we demand the siege on Gaza be lifted and the bombing be stopped forever. (If Israel does not agree to end the blockade of Gaza and open the borders, the fighting will most likely continue. For, as many Gazans say, “Either we die a slow death through the blockage or a quick death through the bombing. Neither is tolerable.”)
In the meantime, please call the White House to tell President Obama to end US aid to Israel: 001-202-456-1111