‘Where’s the Outrage, POTUS?’ Rashida Tlaib Demands US Action as Israeli Forces Assault Al-Aqsa
Jake Johnson / Common Dreams
Palestinian paramedics transport a protester wounded by Israeli security forces at Lions Gate in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 10, 2021. (Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
As Israeli police wounded more than 300 Palestinians, Tlaib said US lawmakers “must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed.”
(May 10, 2021) — Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress, demanded Monday that US lawmakers and President Joe Biden take immediate and concrete action in response to Israeli forces’ latest assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where more than 300 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas.
“This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews.
Israel attacks it during Ramadan.”
— Rep. Rashida Tlaib
“Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam, and people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, and killed by Israeli forces,” Tlaib tweeted Monday morning. “They are denied medics and forced to use prayer mats as stretchers. A place of peace desecrated by violence.”
The Michigan Democrat went on to call out the bipartisan coalition of US House members who rejected conditioning aid to Israel last month, shortly before Israeli settlers and state forces resumed efforts to forcefully expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem — an effort that sparked outrage from Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and other progressive lawmakers.
“American taxpayer money is being used to commit human rights violations,” said Tlaib. “Congress must condition the aid we send to Israel, and end it altogether if those conditions are not followed. Statements aren’t working, [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken. Enough is enough.”
“I was seven years old when I first prayed at the Al-Aqsa with my sity. It’s a sacred site for Muslims,” Tlaib added. “This is equivalent to attacking the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, or the Temple Mount for Jews. Israel attacks it during Ramadan. Where’s the outrage, POTUS?”
Al-Aqsa is the 3rd holiest site in Islam, & people praying during the holiest days of the holy month of Ramadan have been beaten, gassed, shot, & killed by Israeli forces. They are denied medics & forced to use prayer mats as stretchers. A place of peace desecrated by violence.
IMEU @theIMEU
This is what it looks like INSIDE Al Aqsa mosque right now. Israeli forces are shooting Palestinians, spraying tear gas, and throwing stun grenades with alarming frequency — all during the holiest time of the year for Muslims.
#SaveSheikhJarrah: Isreali Forces Remove Palestinians from Their Homes
Ariel and Danaka / CODEPINK
(May 10, 2021) — In May of 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes, places they’ve resided for generations, into refugee camps, other countries, and other parts of Palestine.
In May of 2021, Palestinian families are still being torn from their homes in the middle of the night to make room for Jewish settlers in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem.
Palestinians protesting this ethnic cleansing that was permitted by Israel’s highest court, are being subjected to violence from both settlers and the Israeli occupation forces. Just a few hours ago, Israeli forces attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, with tear gas and rubber bullets while Palestinian Muslims worshiped inside.
To top it all off, Palestinians who are sharing these atrocities on Instagram are being censored.
Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, like Mohammed Elkurd, who have been bravely sharing what has been happening are having their Instagram posts taken down and marked as “hate speech.” Mohammed also received a notice that his account may be disabled. CODEPINK staff members have also had their posts about Sheikh Jarrah removed without notice.
Being anti-Zionist is not hateful. Being anti-Zionist the moral obligation of all people who care about human rights. Standing against the forceful removal of families from the homes they’ve lived in for decades is just the right thing to do. The least we could be doing is spreading awareness about the devastating situation in Sheikh Jarrah.
It is imperative that peace activists around the world stand with Palestinians in Palestine and in the diaspora as they defend their homes and land. Israeli land theft is not new and every day Palestinians are arrested, hurt, or murdered. Just last week, sixteen-year-old Said Yousef Mohammad Odeh was killed in Odala, Palestine by Israeli forces. The Nakba is past and present, but it does not need to be the future if the world stands in solidarity with Palestine.
20 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza, Including 9 Children
Violence has been escalating due to planned evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Israeli forces storming al-Aqsa mosque
GAZA, Occupied Palestine (May 10, 2021) — At least 20 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes that were launched across Gaza on Monday, including nine children. Another 60 Palestinians were wounded in the bombing.
Eyewitnesses said the strikes targeted crowded civilian neighborhoods. Among the slain were two siblings, eleven-year-old Ibrahim al-Masri and seven-year-old Marwan, from the city of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, who were killed while playing in the street.
“My children were martyred. I cannot find any justification whatsoever for targeting someone passing through overcrowded civilian neighborhoods where dozens of children usually play,” Youssef al-Masri, the father of the children, told Middle East Eye.
Israel framed the bombings as retaliation for rockets fired into Israeli territory by Hamas. But as is always the case, the Israeli response was disproportional. Only one Israeli was “lightly injured” by Hamas’ rocket fire.
Hamas launched the rockets in response to violence against Palestinians in the al-Aqsa mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, where Palestinians are facing evictions. Over the past few days, hundreds of Palestinians have been injured by Israeli police, soldiers, and Jewish settlers.
The violence shows no sign of slowing down. Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinian protesters, and the Israeli military sent reinforcements to the Gaza border on Monday.
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