Biden staff stage protest on White House lawn urging Gaza ceasefire
3 Min Read
The vigil witnesses the attendance of almost 50 staff members including political appointees, administration staffers, and civil service career staff with most donning sunglasses and masks to hide their identities.
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A person lays flowers during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 13, 2023 (AFP)
A vigil was held in front of the White House by Biden administration staffers and political appointees who urged for a permanent ceasefire to the war on Gaza.
Almost 50 staff members, including political appointees, administration staffers, and civil service career staff attended the vigil, with most donning sunglasses and masks to hide their identities.
Banners read “President Biden, your staff demands a ceasefire” as candles were lit spelling out “Ceasefire”, and called the war “unacceptable.”
During the vigil, flowers were set in memory of the victims in Gaza, while the names of Palestinians killed since the end of the humanitarian pause on December 1 were read aloud from a 33-page list.
Former State Department official Josh Paul, who resigned in October as a result of opposing US military aid to "Israel", gave an opening speech.
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“The US government’s decision to double down on fueling the violence has put our objectives … around the globe in jeopardy for us to achieve any movement on some of the most intractable issues we face today,” Paul said.
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Paul argued that the humanitarian pause that came to an end two weeks ago wasn't sufficient to begin with since the amount of forced displacement and bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza has been horrific to watch.
“We must move with urgency to save as many lives as possible and achieve an immediate, permanent ceasefire agreement and the return of all hostages,” he expressed.
Paul, who had worked for more than a decade in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under four different administrations, reports that he had experienced unprecedented resistance from the State Department against considering the humanitarian consequences of arms sales.
"I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued — indeed, expanded and expedited — provision of lethal arms to Israel — I have reached the end of that bargain," he wrote in his resignation.
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This comes as American Jewish protesters blocked a 110 freeway during rush hour in Los Angeles, demanding an end to Israeli aggression on Gaza.
The demonstrators, sitting squat on the ground side by side, effectively halted traffic, causing extensive traffic jams stretching for kilometers in a city already plagued by regular congestion. The protest was organized by a group calling themselves "IfNotNow," which identifies itself as "a group of American Jews seeking to end US support for the Israeli apartheid system."
In the middle of the freeway, the demonstrators, who wore black shirts with the white phrases "Not in our name" and "Jews say ceasefire now," lit a Hannukah menorah while chanting "Down down with occupation" and “Let Gaza live!".
