Thousands of Gaza war protesters held a “red line” rally near the White House on Saturday, voicing anger at what they said is US President Joe Biden’s tolerance of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
Chanting “From DC to Palestine, we are the red line,” the demonstrators held a long banner with the names of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces as the conflict entered its ninth month.
Biden has faced criticism for balancing key ally Israel’s actions in the conflict. The White House stated in May that a deadly Israeli strike on Rafah did not cross a “red line” Biden had seemingly set two months earlier when asked about a potential invasion of the southern Gazan city.
“I no longer believe any of the words that Joe Biden says,” said 25-year-old Zaid Mahdawi from Virginia, whose parents are Palestinian. “This ‘red line’ in his rhetoric is rubbish … it shows his hypocrisy and his cowardice,” Mahdawi told AFP.