Saturday, April 14, 2018
KINGSTON – A mock shooting staged by local activists on Broadway in Midtown Kingston Friday afternoon, underscored ongoing human rights violations in Gaza Strip against Palestinians, protesters said. The staged event took place across the street from Congressman John Faso's office, which has been the scene of several rallies since he took office in January 2017.
The protestors said this episode spotlighted Israel's mistreatment of refugees living inside occupied Gaza. They cited the 1997 U.S. "Leahy Law," which limits foreign military aid to abusive regimes.
The United States provides $3.8 billion per year in military aid to Israel.
Bob Gelbach of Jewish Voice for Peace recited a litany of documented violations over a loudspeaker. "International law allows for legal ways of fighting wars, and illegal ways,” Gelbach said. “It's kind of a dicey distinction a lot of people would say it's all bad. But it's a step in the right direction to say that certain things should not be tolerated. "Even when we have made that decision by an Act of Congress, our government still tends to ignore it.”
Judith Simon, another organizer, agreed.
"What is happening between Israel and Palestine is not a war, and it is not a conflict. It is a massacre," she said. "There's no food allowed in, no medical supplies allowed, no clean water, no schools.”
Recent liberation marches along the barrier between Israel and the 365-square-kilometer Gaza Strip territory, have sparked deadly clashes leaving 33 Palestinians dead this week, at last count.
Simon said her organization also condemns Democrats for turning a blind eye to atrocities against Palestinians. Senator Charles Schumer of New York is among the other officials targeted for criticism, she said.