Americans Protest Against AIPAC, One Woman Injured

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside of the recent American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on Sunday. The protest was mainly organized by the women's peace group Code Pink, but other anti-war groups attended the protest as well, including the ANSWER Coalition and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. These activists were protesting Israeli war crimes against Palestinians and the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is illegal according to international law and is the cause of a humanitarian crisis. The anti-AIPAC activities were part of the week-long Move Over AIPAC protests.

Some of the activists managed to sneak into the AIPAC conference and interrupt it. Rae Abileah (pictured here), a 28 year-old Jewish American and Code Pink member, was among them. Shouting, “No more occupation, stop Israeli war crimes, equal rights for Palestinians, occupation is indefensible,” Abileah interrupted the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the House Gallery. She was then tackled and beaten by AIPAC members. The police then dragged her out of the building, further injuring her neck and shoulders.

She was taken to the George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC for treatment. While in the hospital police payed Abileah a visit to let her know she was under arrest. She is currently not being allowed any visitors at the hospital.

“I am in great pain, but this is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that Palestinians go through on a regular basis,” Abileah said from the hospital. “I have been to Gaza and the West Bank, I have seen Palestinians homes bombed and bulldozed, I have talked to mothers whose children have been killed during the invasion of Gaza, I have seen the Jewish-only roads leading to ever-expanding settlements in the West Bank. This kind of colonial occupation cannot continue. As a Jew and a U.S. citizen, I feel obligated to rise up and speak out against these crimes being committed in my name and with my tax dollars.”

This clearly shows the true goal of AIPAC, to commit savage acts of thuggery against all those who disagree with the foreign policy of Israel and the United States. This is not what democracy looks like.