Minneapolis denounces Blinken’s support for Israeli occupation, speaks out against Jenin massacre
Minneapolis, MN – On February 1, 15 activists stood with banners and signs at the busy intersection of 42nd and Cedar Avenues in south Minneapolis to show support for Palestine and to call for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
The MN Anti-War Committee called for the bannering in response to Israeli commandos killing nine Palestinians and wounding 20 in the Jenin refugee camp last week. Israeli forces have killed 32 Palestinians in January so far. Israel is on track to double 2022's rate of lethal violence in the occupied West Bank, which was already the highest on record since the United Nations began collecting this data, and double that of 2021.
Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the Anti-War Committee, was one of the activists who led chants and spoke to protesters and drivers waiting in traffic, “Secretary of State Blinken traveled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister and war criminal Netanyahu this week. In his appearances he has called for both sides to stop this upsurge in violence. He equivocates both sides when he addresses what is happening in Palestine. The news meanwhile wonders if the U.S. can be a force for peace – but that’s not possible. How can Blinken, or Biden for that matter, be a force for Peace in the Middle East if he’s funding Israeli apartheid to the tune of over $10 million a day?”
The Anti-War Committee’s next protest is scheduled for Saturday, February 25. at 1 p.m. outside of Governor Walz’s mansion to pressure him and the State Board of Investment to divest from Israel.