Wednesday, July 9th: Emergency Rally and March for Gaza in Chicago

Rally in front of the Israeli Consulate (500 W. Madison St.), TODAY, Wednesday, July 9th at 3:30pm.

Then march to the Federal Plaza (230 S. Dearborn St.).

Since June 12th, Israel has engaged in a brutal campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinian people, bombing Gaza and raiding West Bank towns and villages, arresting hundreds of civilians, including children across the West Bank and 1948 Palestine.

This past week we have witnessed the brutal deaths and beatings of dozens of Palestinians at the hands of both Israeli forces and Israeli settlers, such as the horrific killing of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, who was kidnapped, tortured, burned alive, and tossed in a field--an unbelievable act of savagery by the settlers.

Israel also began intensifying its bombing of Gaza in the most serious flare-up in the territory since November 2012. Israel has named this latest attack, “Operation Protective Edge,” and in ways that are eerily reminiscent of the 2009 and 2012 attacks, they have called up 1,500 reservists in the Israeli military.

Across Palestine, this wave of violence has also been met with a wave of protest and action. Palestinians are rising up and responding across all of historic Palestine, including the West Bank, Gaza, and 1948 Palestine.

We demand an end to the recent bombing campaign of Gaza, along with an end to the ongoing siege of Gaza. We also demand an end to Israel’s raids, killings, beatings, and arrests in the West Bank. We must act to stop this escalation before it continues any further and more lives are lost.

* Buses will be leaving from the Islamic Community Center of Illinois (6435 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago) and the Mosque Foundation (7360 W. 93rd Street in Bridgeview) at 2:30pm.

* Please join the Facebook event, where you can offer your organizational endorsement and get transportation updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/537846236338726/

* In addition to attending this rally, we ask that people TAKE ACTION:

Call President Obama (202) 456-1111 and Secretary of State John Kerry (202) 647-4000. Demand that they 1) condemn the Israeli assault on Palestinians, and 2) press Israel to end its attacks immediately!

Convened by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)-Chicago, and supported by:

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
Chicago Islamic Center
Islamic Community Center of Illinois
Palestinian American Community Center
Palestinian American Council
Mosque Foundation
United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)
Palestine Solidarity Group - Chicago
Anti-War Committee - Chicago