In brief
On Monday, nearly 100 protesters were arrested in New York City during a demonstration urging Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to oppose a U.S. bomb sale to Israel. The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, highlighted the urgency of addressing Israel's military actions in Lebanon and the U.S.-Israeli conflict regarding Iran. Protesters expressed their frustration with the lawmakers' lack of support for resolutions aiming to block over $600 million in bomb sales, emphasizing that a majority of constituents desire a meaningful response.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 100 protesters were arrested during a demonstration Monday calling on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to block the sale of thousands of U.S. bombs to Israel.
Led by the antiwar group Jewish Voice for Peace, the crowd of hundreds initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of the two Democratic lawmakers. They accused them of abetting Israel’s intensifying attacks in Lebanon and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
After demonstrators were blocked by security from entering the building, they stopped traffic outside, chanting “fund people, not bombs” as they were arrested and loaded onto three buses.
Among the 90 people taken into custody were whistleblower Chelsea Manning, actor Hari Nef, and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés, according to a JVP spokesperson.
The demonstration focused on a set of resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders that could block the sale of more than $600 million in bombs to Israel.
Similar measures previously introduced by Sanders have failed, but the most recent effort this past summer drew support from more than half of Senate Democrats amid widespread hunger and suffering in Gaza. Schumer and Gillibrand were not among them.
Protesters on Monday said Israel’s air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon, along with the larger U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, added to the urgency of the vote, which is expected later this week.
“This is the moment when Schumer and Gillibrand must listen to their constituents,” said Sonya Meyerson-Knox, the communications director with Jewish Voice for Peace. “The majority of Americans and New Yorkers want a resolution to what the Israeli government is doing.”
Inquiries to Schumer and Gillibrand were not immediately returned.
