Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered at the Port of Tacoma in Washington state under overcast skies and persistent rain, with the goal of obstructing a military supply vessel that they claim is transporting weapons from the US to Israel. There, they worry that Israel will use the weapons on board to continue its campaign against the Gaza Strip, where over 10,000 Palestinians have lost their lives.

“We need a cease-fire right away. We want the murders to end immediately. Protester Wassim Hage stated, “We want a real examination and action on US foreign policy and US funding to Israel” during the Tacoma demonstration. Hage is employed by the advocacy group Arab Resource and Organising Centre (AROC), which coordinated the protests, as a case manager and organiser of community outreach.

He claimed that AROC was informed by a confidential source that Israel, which is still waging war in Gaza, would send the ship to Israel filled with armaments and military hardware. It was not possible for us to verify that claim right away. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Jurgensen confirmed that the ship was utilised to support the “movement of US military cargo” in an email to the publication. However, he declined to provide any more details. “As a result of operational security, the US Department of Defense does not provide details about the transport and movement of cargo aboard these vessels,” according to the author.

 

Second protest for vessel

 

 

Protesters in umbrellas, puffer jackets, and raincoats of various ages gathered outside the dock of the ship, named the Cape Orlando, in Tacoma. In addition to holding posters that read “Defend Gaza,” they waved the Palestinian flag and screamed “Free Palestine” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”. Bicycles and cars with blinking warning lights were used by protesters to obstruct traffic near the port. To stop the ship, seven Indigenous warriors in a ceremonial canoe circled the surrounding seas.

Patricia Gonzalez, a member of the Puyallup Tribe’s Water Warriors Council, explained that her motivation for diving sprang from her personal connection to the violent and uprooted past of the Palestinian people. She clarified that her ancestors were sent to Indigenous boarding schools without their will, establishments created to eradicate indigenous cultures. Even Pope Francis and the Canadian government have referred to schools as tools of “cultural genocide.” Gonzalez claimed that the pain of that history had affected generations of people in her neighbourhood. She responded, “We definitely understand that when it comes to genocide.” According to Gonzalez, “It touches our hearts really close.” That is something that our ancestors went through, and it has an everyday impact on us. And we would never want that to happen to another country.

The anti-Zionist and Jewish Abby Brook assisted in planning the event on Monday. Her involvement was sparked by her travels to Israel and the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. As an eighteen-year-old, I visited Palestine and witnessed firsthand the effects of settler colonialism and occupation. She used the phrase “Nakba,” which refers to the 1948 Palestinian mass displacement, to describe what she observed and heard from those who had experienced the checkpoints. When you see what Palestinians live every day, there is no doubt as to what’s happening. “And the fact that this is a state military occupation based on apartheid.”

 

 

According to her, a wide range of individuals came to the “block the boat” demonstration in an effort to stop the violence in Gaza. In an effort to obstruct the ongoing genocide physically, people wanted to participate. “Attempts to halt the Cape Orlando’s journey have been made for the second week in a running. Three demonstrators attached themselves to the ship’s ladder last Friday while the Cape Orlando was parked in Oakland, California, causing the ship to delay its departure for several hours.

The three demonstrators were eventually evacuated by the US Coast Guard, according to a statement they made after they “reportedly trespassed” onto the ship. It is suspected that they committed violations of federal law, which are the subject of ongoing investigation. The Coast Guard continued, claiming that further demonstrators “had breached the fence surrounding the pier that the Cape Orlando was moored to” and that some of them had “tampered with mooring lines.”

Hage stated that President Joe Biden, who is presently running for reelection in 2024, is receiving a strong message from the outcry over the Cape Orlando and its purported cargo. Hage says we are currently witnessing some of the largest anti-war protests in decades, and this is in the context of a very competitive election.”

 

The US provides military assistance to Israel

 

 

In addition to the $3.8 billion that the US has already committed to give Israel through 2023, Biden has urged Congress to approve an additional $14 billion in aid for Israel. Israel has received the most military support from the US since its establishment in 1948. Roughly sixteen percent of Israel’s defence budget is funded by it. In the wake of the October 7 surprise strike on Israel, Biden declared that he will give Israel “additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,” the country’s missile defence system.

However, according to Elias Yousif, a research analyst with the Conventional Defence Programme at the Stimson Centre, a US-based think tank, it is difficult to verify what weapons are being transported from the US to Israel. He brought up the Biden administration’s lack of transparency.

He claimed that “very few statements that detail what’s being transferred have been made by the United States, at least officially.” “We have these lovely fact sheets from the Department of State regarding the war in Ukraine, but there is no comparable platform where we can go look at arms transfers to Israel.” In spite of this, he believes there is a “very high” chance US weapons are being used in Gaza. It is almost certain that the US weapons are being used in Gaza by the Israeli forces. “ he said.

 

The lack of oversight

 

 

Human Rights Watch’s Washington director, Sarah Yager, stated that her organisation is pressuring US politicians to oversee Israel’s military funding. Yager stated, “At the moment, Congress’s primary responsibility is to oversee the sale of weapons.” Therefore, they’re not truly performing their duties if they’re not questioning where and how these weapons are being utilised. Given “the real risk that they will be used to commit grave abuses,” Human Rights Watch has urged nations like the US to halt arms transfers to both Palestinian armed groups and Israel.

Human Rights Watch condemned Hamas for hitting civilians during its onslaught on Israel on October 7, but it also charged that Israel was subjecting the Palestinian people to “collective punishment” by bombing heavily populated areas and cutting off basic supplies like food and water. It also mentioned the possible use of white phosphorus, a poisonous substance that burns at very high temperatures and is prohibited for use against civilians. Israel has refuted claims that it used the poison on civilians.

According to Yager, the US must make sure that its resources—including money and weapons—are not being used to hurt civilians. “I believe that the initial measure should be for Congress and the Biden administration to reevaluate the weapons’ objective and whether or not they are being utilised in violation of international law,” Yager stated. Hage stated that military personnel managed to put items into the boat by Monday nightfall, despite their best attempts.

Hage deemed the effort a success because it delayed the ship for the majority of the day, even if he lamented that they were unable to prevent the cargo from entering the ship. He said that one of the boat’s employees had told protesters that the demonstrations had moved him and that he wanted to get off the ship. The cargo was delayed by 12 hours, so it is a victory every single day that no Palestinians were bombed by the cargo.