Above photo: Protesters demand a ceasefire in Gaza at the November 4 march for Palestine in Washington, DC. Sofia Perez.
In the country that provides the most material and political support for Israel, members of congress cannot ignore the growing movement for Palestine.
Within the halls of the United States Congress, Israel’s biggest ally, support for a ceasefire in Gaza is growing. Biden himself has openly refused multiple times to call for a ceasefire, and such calls remain unpopular with the majority of Congress members.
On October 16, progressive Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution “calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.” While the resolution initially had 13 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, the number of co-sponsors have since increased to 18, including Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Pramila Jayapal. Additionally, over 40 members of congress have called for a ceasefire in some capacity.
“Our movement for a ceasefire is growing every single day,” said Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian in the US Congress, who was censured by her colleagues earlier this month for her pro-Palestine advocacy. “The majority of Americans, including over 70% of Michigan Democrats, want a ceasefire. While there are growing attempts to silence the diverse coalition of people advocating for peace, fighting to save lives no matter their faith or ethnicity should not be controversial. We will not be intimidated, we will not be silenced, and we will not stop calling for an end to this violence. I urge my colleagues to listen to their constituents and call for a ceasefire now to save innocent lives.”
Significant pressure has been placed on Democrats to support an end to Israeli violence given they proclaim to be the more liberal of the two dominant parties. On November 15, over 100 people protested in front of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC, chanting “ceasefire now!” as a handful of Congress members were inside hearing from prospective candidates. The members of Congress inside the Committee were evacuated by “heavily armed and serious” Capitol police officers, according to one congressman. Several protesters were attacked by the police outside of the Committee building.
Recent polling indicates that 68% of people in the US support a ceasefire, amongst Republicans that number is 50%. The Palestine solidarity movement in the United States has swelled to remarkable proportions. On November 4, an estimated 500,000* marched in the streets of Washington, DC on November 4 to demand a ceasefire and an end to the US funding of Israel.
*Original crowd estimate of 300,000 was adjusted after review of aerial and crowd shots by an independent geographer.