SEATTLE — Jewish Voice for Peace Seattle gathered outside the Federal Office Building in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, marking Passover to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the United States to stop sending money and arms to Israel.
"This holiday of liberation urges every single one of us to step up our commitment to the liberation of Palestinian people,” one of the JVP organizers said to the crowd.
"We honor one of the origin stories of our people, freeing themselves from oppression by committing to fighting for liberation in our own lifetime,” another JVP organizer said.
Since Hamas killed 1,139 people and took 253 hostages on Oct. 7, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip. The IDF has killed an estimated 34,000 people, 13,000 are believed to be children, according to the Associated Press. Thousands more people are wounded and millions have been displaced.
"The Israeli government's war on Palestinians must end now and our funding for it must end now,” another JVP organizer said.
U.S. funding to Israel is why they held their demonstration in front of the Federal Office Building. Much of their ire was directed at Sen. Patty Murray. In February, she called for a ceasefire in Gaza and said, "The collective punishment in Gaza has got to stop." On Tuesday, she voted to send more military aid to Israel. Protesters wanted her to explain what they say is a contradiction.
In a statement, Murray said the $95 billion war aid package passed by the Senate Tuesday was the "best opportunity" to get aid to Ukraine and Gaza and protect Israeli citizens from Iranian attacks.
"The supplemental package the Senate passed last night was the result of difficult bipartisan negotiations and is not what I would have written by myself—but support for Ukraine cannot wait a second longer, and civilians caught in conflict zones, including in Gaza, need humanitarian aid desperately," Murray said. "I remain focused on pressuring the Netanyahu government to do much more to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian aid is getting into Gaza—and I strongly support the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to secure a mutually agreed upon ceasefire."
Organizers with Jewish Voice for Peace Seattle said they will continue protesting until the U.S. stops aiding Israel and there’s a permanent ceasefire.
Other protests happened around the area on Tuesday, including a walk-out at some western Washington schools. Schools in districts in Seattle, Redmond, Renton, Issaquah, Woodinville and others participated, in addition to local colleges and universities.