A recent survey shows that an increased number of Black Americans feel a sense of solidarity with the plight of Palestinians and want to see an immediate and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released the survey on April 25, revealing that an increased number of Black Americans (45%) say they feel “connected” to Palestinians, up from 32% in an October survey after following Hamas’ unexpected Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“The racial discrimination, the racist oppression, the segregation, the apartheid. It all sounds very familiar because there are obvious similarities,” Edward Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told theGrio. “Not to mention the similarities between what Black people in South Africa experienced and what Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories experience.”
Mitchell, who is Black and Muslim, said that while he believes any American “with an open heart who learns about Palestine” might sympathize with Palestinians’ plight, Americans who have “experienced something similar” are “even more inclined” to do so. Criticism is aimed at “not only the Israeli government, but our government’s funding.”
For nearly seven months, advocates have called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and have been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration’s military operation in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, including women and children.
Advocates have also been critical of President Joe Biden and his administration’s continued military aid supplied to support what they believe is Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas, which is classified as a foreign terrorist group by the U.S. State Department.
Though Biden has toughened his public statements about how Israel is conducting its war, his policy to support Israel,…
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