St. Paul, MN – On December 29, 60 Palestine solidarity activists rallied at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Free Palestine bannering. Participants chanting, “Hey Netanyahu what do you say, how many kids did you kill today” and “Resistance is justified, when Palestine is occupied!” filled the intersection along with the unending honks of motorists.

Mel DeMartini, local activist, said in her fiery speech, “This is our government doing this. This is our tax money paying for it, our weapons murdering innocent children, our politicians making these evil decisions, our representatives at the UN vetoing any attempt at a ceasefire, our corporations profiting off the bloodshed and land theft.”

She was followed by Andrew Josefchack, from the MN Anti War Committee, who said, “Why do they defend genocide? Because it serves the U.S. empire, we have to be clear on this. Israel does not somehow control the U.S. Israel is a beachhead for U.S. intervention in the Middle East. The Israeli General Moshe Dayan once said of Israel's foreign policy, ‘Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother.’ And it is, Israel is the U.S.’s mad dog, on the U.S.’ short leash, fostering constant violence and political instability in the Middle East, attempting to undermine or assassinate or bomb or otherwise terrorize any opponent in the region that might stand a chance of standing up to it, and by extension any chance of standing up to the U.S.”

Next week the WAMM bannering will be a part of National Week of Action called by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for a Democratic Society, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). Twin Cities Palestine solidarity actions will take place every day from January 1 through 7.

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