Protests in SM demand end to Gaza war
On Nov. 29, hundreds of protesters, many carrying signs and Palestinian flags, gathered in front of Tongva Park near the Santa Monica City Council. Commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a UN-designated observance day, protesters walked from the park to the Third Street Promenade, temporarily halting traffic and shoppers in the process. Ending their march in front of the Pier, multiple people from the event’s organizers, including the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) gave speeches in front of the iconic blue sign.
Noah Pust (’26), who serves as the president of the Samohi chapter of DSA, was one of the attendees at the protest.
“The protest was a beautiful thing and it was an event where the Los Angeles community really showed up,” said Pust. “At the protest, our focus was getting Los Angeles to see that we won’t stand for Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people and that we won’t be complicit in funding it. We called for an immediate end to US weapons aid to Israel, a ceasefire and the return of all Palestinians, some of whom are just children, unjustly imprisoned by Israel. The liberation of the Palestinian people, like any other marginalized group, is vital to the making of a better world for all.”
Coinciding with Black Friday, protesters also called for a boycott of shopping and consumerism, made clear by the chanted phrase, ‘While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.” Stores with locations on the Promenade, including Nike, a company on the boycott list of the Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] National Committee due to their ties to Israel, were the main targets of the protesters. The Palestinian Youth Movement also called for the cutting of ties with Maersk, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies in the world, for shipping “military cargo that facilitate Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people”, per their website.
Other phrases, such as “Long live the intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are also comment chants at Pro-Palestinian Protests, some reportedly used at the Santa Monica protests.
The latest crisis erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, between Israel and Palestinian militants, when Hamas launched an assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, with more than 240 people taken as hostages during the attack and 63 currently remaining in Gaza. The conflict in Gaza began with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation, followed weeks later by the incursion of ground troops and armored vehicles. By November 2024 more than 43,000 Gazans had been killed. While these figures are from the Hamas-controlled health ministry which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, these figures have been deemed reliable by the UN, and analysis by the UN Human Rights Office released in early November shows that close to 70% of verified victims were women and children.
Eli Tobel (’27), an active member of the Jewish community at Samo, discussed the impact of the pro-Palestine protests while acknowledging the complexity of the conflict and its impact on the community.
“Obviously, everyone should have freedom of speech and be able to say what they want and express their feelings, but I think when they’re mentioning things like the Intifada, personally I don’t think that’s very respectful, because if you’re looking at the historical meaning of that, the Intifada was a time when there many Jewish people killed. So calling to globalize that is essentially calling to murder Jews.”
The word “Intifada”, which translates to “rebellion” in Arabic, refers to two mass uprisings that started in 1987 and 2000 against the Israeli occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which was marked with heavy casualties on both sides. Escalating tensions saw Palestinian protests and riots, with harsh by Israeli military and police. Numerous acts of terror against Israeli civilians were also seen, specifically in a series of bombings throughout the country by terrorist groups such as Hamas. While the intent of pro-Palestine protesters using the word in recent protests can be seen as a call for resistance against occupation, many in the Jewish community see the word as a sign of violence and terrorism against the community and Jewish institutions.
“I think the conflict has definitely divided a lot of people, maybe potentially making Jews feel isolated. Personally, I know people whose families have been divided and there’s been conflict because of that,” Tobel said. “On US aid to Israel, I’m a supporter of Israel, but I do believe that the US spends too much tax dollars funding Israel. However, I believe that US aid and support to Israel should continue, because if you’re looking at the creation of Israel, a lot of why it exists today is because of other countries’ support and that should continue, as Israel is surrounded by enemies. But I definitely understand why people are upset with the amount of aid being given and obviously there are a lot of people dying, so I hope it ends soon.”
Both individuals agreed on the need for a resolution to peace.
“We believe in peace and the end to Israel’s brutal occupation. So many lives have been lost and we want to see an end to the bloodshed,” Pust said.