Minneapolis, MN – On April 25, over 130 people came to an emergency protest to show outrage over the recent Israeli military attacks on worshipers at Al Aqsa mosque and missile attacks on Gaza during Ramadan. This protest and others in Chicago and DC this week have been organized to show solidarity with Palestine. The rush hour protest started outside of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, was followed by a march on Washington Avenue, and concluded with prayers.

Mariam El-Khatib, a board member of American Muslims for Palestine Minnesota, was the first speaker. The crowd, which was overwhelmingly Palestinian, Muslim and Arab, was motivated by her words, “Every day is a day closer to this beautiful future in Palestine where we can all go home to our villages that were ethnically cleansed in 1948. Where we invite you to all and will show you the beauty of Palestine. Israel is in a losing battle. And we are one day closer to a free Palestine. Brothers and sisters, everything that you do goes a long way for the cause.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, spoke before the march, “Israel wouldn’t be able to launch this offensive if the U.S. didn’t keep footing the bill. The U.S. funds these ongoing attacks on Palestinians in order to use Israel as the 51st state so that their military can use Israel to control the whole Middle East. By demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel we are taking a stand against the U.S. domination of the region and the world.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine-MN, Council on American Islamic Relations-MN and Youth for Palestine. Protesters were encouraged to come out on May 14 for the Anti-War Committee and American Muslims for Palestine’s annual Al Nakba march through the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

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