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Thousands of people are expected to rally Saturday in Washington, joining a push from people across the world to demand both a cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Brian Becker, the executive director of the ANSWER Coalition, one of the organizers of the march, said he hopes this gathering will be “the largest demonstration in support of the Palestinian people in the history of the United States.”
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Organizers estimated upward of 30,000 people will attend the event, according to a permit issued by the National Park Service.
President Biden swiftly supported Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, whose gunmen broke through Israel’s border, killed at least 1,400 people and took about 240 people into Gaza as hostages, Israeli officials said. At least 5,400 people have been injured, according to Israeli officials.
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Since then, at least 9,257 people in Gaza have been killed, and more than 23,516 have been wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
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On Wednesday, Biden called for a humanitarian “pause” in the war but not a cease-fire. Saturday’s event in D.C., called the “National March on Washington: Free Palestine,” will give demonstrators a platform to respond.
“People are mortified by the carnage,” Becker said. “And they are equally mortified that the Biden administration has insisted that there not be a cease-fire.”
Here’s what else you need to know about the protest.
When and where is the rally and march?
The main rally will begin at 2 p.m. at Freedom Plaza and last until about 4 p.m., followed by a march loop that will take protesters toward 14th and K streets NW, the White House, and then back to Freedom Plaza, Becker said.
Jen Zwilling, chief executive officer of the Edlavitch D.C. Jewish Community Center, emailed members Friday asking them to “resist the urge to counter-protest and/or engage” with protesters, which she said could “increase the potential for violence or antisemitic rhetoric.”
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Will there be street closures?
There are no planned street closures, D.C. police spokeswoman Jessica Herbert said Thursday.
D.C.-area schools report more bias incidents against Jews, Palestinians
What is the purpose of the rally?
The “Free Palestine” event aims to pressure the Biden administration to stop sending aid to Israel and to support calls for a cease-fire.
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It comes after Biden unveiled an aid package last month that includes $14 billion in aid for Israel. Israel is the largest beneficiary of U.S. aid, having received approximately $150 billion in taxpayer assistance as of 2022, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan agency.
Half of registered voters in the United States approve of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack, while 35 percent disapprove, according to Quinnipiac University polling released Thursday. However, these views vary sharply by partisanship, race and age, with the lowest approval seen among Democrats (33 percent), voters ages 18 to 34 (32 percent) and Black voters (29 percent).
At the same time, the polling shows, 51 percent of voters support the United States sending more military aid to Israel, and 71 percent of voters support providing humanitarian aid to help Palestinians in Gaza.
Palestinian Americans in Washington on edge watching Gaza news
Who will speak at the rally?
Organizers said expected speakers Saturday include Becker; Noura Erakat, a human rights attorney and an associate professor at Rutgers University; Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian writer and activist; and representatives from major Muslim and Arab organizations in the United States.
Can I watch from home?
If you can’t be there in person, you can live-stream the rally on YouTube.
Emily Guskin and Scott Clement contributed to this report, which is developing and may be updated.
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