As the war in the Gaza Strip rages on, protests continue all across the world. In the United States alone, over 100 protests have already been organized against the attacks, from a small rally in Salt Lake City to much larger rallies along the east coast. Among the largest was in Dearborn, Michigan, where thousands of protesters braved freezing cold temperatures in a rally organized by the Congress of Arab-American Organizations.
But in the media these rallies are given short shrift; an interesting but ultimately irrelevant aside in a nation where the political leadership is firmly and fervently in favor of the Israeli attack. From the Bush Administration to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the position is loud, and unified, Israel must be supported in its war at all costs.
Unique among officials in having publicly condemned the attacks is Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who labeled the attacks disproportionate and has urged a United Nations investigation. The lone political voice on the side of the tens of thousands of protesters across the country and untold numbers who share their sentiment, Kucinich has raised the ire of many, including Israel Project founder Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, who condemned the Congressman for not understanding “the security concerns of the Israeli people,” adding that the fact that he isn’t President-elect proves he isn’t what the voters wanted.
As has been the case since the war began, the real President-elect has remained silent on the situation. What was he doing today instead of commenting on the hundreds of people killed in the Gaza Strip? According to the Associated Press, he was getting his picture taken with a nine-month-old. That was probably fulfilling in its own way.