In Pictures: US march against Israel's war

A pro-Palestinian rally drew thousands of people outside the White House on Saturday who came to express their outrage. Wes Bruer Last updated: 04 Aug 2014 06:18

Washington, DC - A pro-Palestinian rally drew thousands of people outside the White House on Saturday who came to express their outrage at the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, and demand an end to it.   Demonstrators carried symbolic coffins draped in the Palestinian flag to represent the nearly 1,700 Palestinians killed by the Israeli bombardment, many of them women and children. More than 8,500 have been injured since the offensive began July 8. The protesters chanted slogans like, "Free, free Palestine, killing children is a crime," and "Five, six, seven eight, Israel is an apartheid state."    They also criticised the US for its decision to resupply Israel with weapons during the offensive; and demanded that Washington stop providing more than $3bn in annual aid to Israel. The demonstration was sponsored by 47 different organisations whose literature advertising the march implored the White House to "Stop the Massacre in Gaza." The crowds included a diverse ethnic, religious and political mix from all over the country; from cities like Chicago, Florida, Ohio, and New York. Well known figures like activist and academic Cornell West spoke at the rally. But despite the massive turnout, government officials did not see or hear them. Congress recessed for the summer this past week, and President Obama was at Camp David celebrating his birthday.

View As Slideshow >> /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Maura Yasim and her neighbour Tasneel Falah joined thousands of protesters for the National March on the White House, which took a strong stand against Israel's military offensive in Gaza. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Anam Matariyeh travelled to DC by bus from Chicago to stand in solidarity with Palestinians. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Lul Ahmed holds a sign denouncing civilian deaths in Gaza and US military aid to Israel. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Ameer Siam carries a cardboard casket draped in a Palestinian flag through the streets of DC for the National March. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Ali Nain takes a break from marching to pray inside a parking garage along the National March protest route. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Amrom L and dozens of other members of Jews United Against Zionism join the demonstration and call for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Khalid Yousef and his daughter join protesters to decry the recent deaths of civilians and children in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Said Alwan expresses outrage over the deaths of Gaza children at the hands of the Israeli military, which recently purchased more ammunition from the US. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Political activist and professor Cornell West addresses a crowd of thousands outside the White House and calls for an end to to the violence in Gaza and Israel. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Jewish American Ben Becker of the Answer Coalition is joined by his son on stage as he addresses the National March to protest the violence in Gaza. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad holds a sign with the White House phone number, urging those gathered to call President Obama to show their outrage with US military support of Israel. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Supporters of Palestine take a break from the National March rally for afternoon prayers, as thousands of other protesters flooded the streets and the park outside the White House. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Law enforcement officers look on as the crowd swells outside of the White House. Police were eventually forced to take down barricades to accommodate everyone. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Thousands of protesters rallied in front of the White House before marching through downtown DC. /Wes Bruer/Al Jazeera Ali Azam joins the National March on the White House to protest civilian deaths in Gaza. He was chanting, "No more dead kids!" Source