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As Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators amassed outside the Portland office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), demanding he call for an end to the war.
The Israeli military response to an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas has now killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Associated Press. Israeli airstrikes have leveled entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is determined to retrieve hostages held by Hamas, whose fighter cells are entrenched in residential neighborhoods.
The Portland march was one of several across the U.S.—from New York City to Seattle—as outrage grows over the scale of Israel’s military strikes. In Portland, the rally was organized by a group called Free People of Portland, with visible support from the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Its march through downtown began at Merkley’s office at the World Trade Center.
“We are rallying for a cease-fire,” said Jad, an organizer who asked that his last name be withheld, fearing the doxxing that has followed vocal supporters of Palestine. “Public opinion is clear. To Senator Merkley: We are asking you to be the first Oregon representative to support a cease-fire.”
Like most national leaders, Merkley stopped short of calling for a cease-fire, and instead advocated for humanitarian pauses in the war to allow aid workers to assist people in Gaza.
In response to an inquiry from WW, Merkley’s press office issued the following statement:
“Senator Merkley respects the right of all his constituents to exercise their First Amendment right to peacefully protest.
“He supports Israel’s right to defend itself following Hamas’s horrific terrorist massacre of Israeli civilians. At the same time, Senator Merkley is calling for Israel to conduct its campaign against Hamas in a targeted manner that maximizes the protection of innocent civilians and is deeply disturbed by the death and injury of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza—including the more than 2,000 children UNICEF has highlighted—during Israel’s initial campaign.
“In addition, in the face of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, he is calling for humanitarian pauses to facilitate the release of hostages, including Americans and other nationals trapped in Gaza, and the full restoration of supplies of food, water, medical supplies, and fuel for essential functions from water desalination to hospital operations.
“Senator Merkley weighed in against the Saturday cutoff of cell and internet coverage in Gaza—communication is essential for humanitarian relief and for families to connect with their loved ones in the war zone—and is pleased at the partial restoration of cell and internet systems on Sunday.”
Merkley has long been considered a vanguard of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and, like many elected officials on the left, he finds himself in a bind on the Israel-Hamas war. Support for Palestine is strong among young, progressive voters—including those who marched in Portland—but any call for a cease-fire would alienate many Jewish voters as well as other supporters of Israel.
A decision whether to light the Morrison Bridge blue and white in solidarity with Israelis killed by Hamas sent the Multnomah County Board of Commissioner into paroxysms two weeks ago. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson ultimately lit the bridge the color of Israel’s flag for five nights, then again in white for the next five, “representing our collective call for peace in the war between Hamas and Israel and an equitable and lasting solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that some bridge operators called in sick rather than tend the blue-and-white-lit bridge, and asked Pederson to suspend the practice of political lightings.
Another group supporting a cease-fire plans to rally outside Merkley’s office on Monday afternoon.
See images of Saturday’s rally below.
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