Washington, D.C. – Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the US capital to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, as Washington continues to resist calls for an end to the war despite the rising death toll.
Protesters in Washington DC on Saturday focused their anger on US President Joe Biden, accusing him of enabling genocide against the Palestinians.
“Biden, Biden, you can’t hide; we accuse you of genocide,” the demonstrators chanted.
United Nations experts have warned of a growing risk of genocide in Gaza, amid Israel’s brutal bombardment of the enclave, which was launched in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks on southern Israeli communities.
The UN Genocide Convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group,” including killings and measures to prevent births.
The Biden administration has urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties, but also stressed that it will not draw “red lines” on how the US ally conducts its military operations.
![Masked protester with Palestinian flag scales light pole during Palestine solidarity protest in Washington, DC](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/protest-9-1699133029.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
Biden has also asked Congress for more than $14 billion in aid for Israel to help finance the ongoing war in Gaza, which health authorities say has killed at least 9,488 Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
Many protesters at Saturday’s rally called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. The demonstration stretched several blocks from Freedom Plaza, near the White House, east toward the U.S. Capitol.
Al Jazeera spoke to many of the protesters. This is what they had to say:
Nidaa, a protester from Gaza
Nidaa, who chose to be identified only by her first name, said her family in Gaza is constantly bombed and there is no safe place in the entire territory.
“Stop the War. Stop the bombing. Stop this genocide in Gaza – that is the most important message we are sending today, and I hope that our government will listen to us. I hope that our people in Gaza, and in Palestine in general , know that we are here. Hopefully they will hear our voices to at least cheer them up a little – that they are not alone.”
![Protester holds sign saying 'Yemen supports Palestine'](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/protest-10-1699133111.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
Huda Alkuraey, Yemeni-American advocate
Alkuraey, who traveled from South Florida to Washington DC to join the protest, expressed anger at the US and international response to the conflict.
“The Palestinians have not had freedom for more than seventy years. And it’s time for us to make our voices heard and tell the world that this isn’t right.”
David Horowitz, Jewish American activist
Horowitz stressed the need for a ceasefire and called the massacre in Gaza an “abomination.” He also called the Biden administration’s call for humanitarian pauses insufficient.
“We should be calling for a ceasefire, and instead they’re talking about a ‘pause’, which doesn’t really mean a stop to anything. They let the supply trucks through, and then they keep fighting. It’s a euphemism and the public doesn’t understand that. It’s really not a ceasefire.”
![Protester in Washington, DC holding sign that reads 'Ceasefire Now'](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/protest-5-1699132801.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C474)
Ayan Yusuf, Somali-American protester
Yusuf came to Washington, DC from Boston to attend the meeting. She said the Biden administration does not see the humanity of the Palestinians.
“We are here to speak for the innocent people. We are here to let the world know that what Israel and the United States are doing is not self-defense; it is a genocide. And we do not support that, regardless of religion, regardless of our way of doing things, regardless of our agenda. We are all human.”
Eisha Raja, Pakistani-American activist
Raja rejected a newly announced one push of the Biden administration to combat Islamophobia in the US as a “despicable” attempt to divert attention from Washington’s policies in Gaza.
“We want to support a ceasefire 100 percent. We need this to end. We don’t want to send any more tax money to Israel. We do not want to support genocide – blood on our hands.”
![Protester in Washington, DC holding a sign that reads: 'Genocide Joe, you lost my vote'](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/protest-1-1699132591.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
Maria Habib, Lebanese-American protester
Habib, who was dressed in a traditional Palestinian dress known as a thobe, said she is having a hard time coping with the war and the harrowing images of the atrocities in Gaza. She added that she will not vote for Biden and other Democratic candidates next year.
“They don’t have any votes anymore – from me or my family or anyone else. It’s finished. I have voted for them in the past because we really don’t have a better choice. Now it’s not even a choice.”
![Protesters gather in Washington, DC](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/protest-3-1699132734.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
Siham Alfred, Nakba survivor
Siham Alfred, who was forced from her home as a child during Israel’s creation in 1948, expressed her fears about the possible expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, and denounced Biden and other Western leaders.
“Too bad, they’re racist. They do not believe that Palestinians are equal to Israelis. I will never vote for Biden. He is a coward and a criminal.”