Protesters rally in support of Palestinians after deadly operation: ‘Our struggle is a just struggle’

Following a deadly raid by Israel in the occupied West Bank last week, dozens of protesters gathered in downtown Chicago on Sunday demanding an end to U.S. support for the country and calling for Palestinian independence.

Demonstrators gathered at the intersection of Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free free Palestine” and “long live Palestine.” The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, which organized the protest, called the Israeli raid “a massacre.”

Nazek Sankari, a member of the Chicago Chapter of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said the U.S. should immediately cut off support for Israel “or else be considered a supporter of racism, apartheid and massacres.”

On Jan. 26, Israel’s military conducted a rare daytime operation in the Jenin camp that it said was meant to prevent an imminent attack on Israelis. The camp, where the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group has a major foothold, has been a focus of near-nightly Israeli arrest raids.

Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times

Ten Palestinians were killed in the action. It was the deadliest single operation in the territory in more than two decades, causing tensions to soar in the region once again. On Friday, Gaza militants fired five rockets at Israel, and Israel carried out airstrikes.

Condemnations came from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Turkey, which recently reestablished full diplomatic ties with Israel. Neighboring Jordan, as well as Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries also condemned the Israeli raid.

“Israeli forces continue to murder Palestinians with impunity,” Sankari told the crowd Sunday. “But Palestinians are resisting. We’re resisting on every front of the Israeli occupation. We want to make it very clear, they will never erase us.”

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, who joined the rally, said the latest Israeli raids represent “a continuation of what the occupation represents, which is violence against the Palestinian people.”

Rashid urged the crowd to continue to contact elected representatives to enact change in the region.

“I can tell you this, you will have a receptive audience among many of them, maybe not among all but among many,” Rashid said. “It’s on us to take that opportunity to let them know the truth because the truth is on our side. Our struggle is a just struggle.”

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem last year, making 2022 the deadliest in those territories since 2004, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem. So far this year, 30 Palestinians have been killed. Last year, 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

Contributing: AP